Same Faces Different Places
by xJordanKayX
Summary: A series of unrelated One Shots, all set in different A/U's.
1. Introduction

This series will be updated whenever I have a new idea, but definetively not as regular as my other Riverdale story.

I'm willing to take on almost every ship out there, though my main ship is and will always remain Falice. I am taking promts at an email address I've set up solely for occasions like that. It's not a must, but feel free to send me your ideas. The only requirement is that it has to be set in an A/U. You tell me the characters involved, the pairing and the world you want to have and I'll try my best :)

for ideas please PM me here directly :)

love,

J


	2. 25 Years in the making - Falice (1 of 1)

**Pairing: Alice Cooper/ FP Jones, Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz, Archie Andrews/Veronica Lodge**

 **Summary: Alice Cooper and FP Jones are caught making out and it surprises not everyone**

* * *

 **25 Years in the making**

 _World:_

 _A Riverdale where all the Core Four families are Southside Serpents. Alice Cooper and FP Jones are both long divorced and though there had always been an insane attraction, they had actually never been together._

* * *

"Oh my god, you won't believe this, but I just stumbled onto the hottest thing ever!" Toni Topaz walks back into their corner of the room, squeezing in between the armrest of the worn out couch and Cheryl Blossom's body, in doing so reclaiming the seat she'd traded for the bathroom just minutes ago.

"I've always been here" Cheryl leans back into the sofa, head resting casually on Toni's shoulder. She laces her fingers with the other girl's, both hands coming to rest on the brunette's thigh.

"I love you baby, but as hot as you are, what I just saw tops even that" Toni kisses the pout from her lips. Cheryl's not actually mad or hurt, she knows Toni thinks she's the hottest and most beautiful girl in this world. "Sorry" But Cheryl's already smiling again, curiosity peaked enough to want to know what's going on then.

And it seems like the rest of the gang is just as interested in it as the red head is. They've been eyeing the interaction between the couple with amused looks, but they are used to the girls' antics by know. Two years of constant and public pining and teasing followed by two years of constant and public flirting and kissing does that. Now, however, they are eager to hear what Toni has found out.

"Are you ever going to tell us or are you going to continue making eyes at your girlfriend?" Sweet Pea asks, sitting on the second couch next to Betty Cooper and Jughead Jones who are trying very hard not to be too obvious in * their * attraction towards each other. Right now this seems to head towards another Toni/Cheryl like situation.

"Yea, get on with it. Some people are busy" It's said with a smile and a laugh but there's also no mistaking Veronica Lodge seriously wants to get back to the activity she'd just paused to hear the news. Namely, having Archie Andrews' hands all over her body while she's eagerly sucking on his tongue. The boy in question seems to be incredibly inclined to get back to that, too.

Taking her sweet time making herself comfortable in her seat, Toni cuddles into her girlfriend's side, playing with their entwined fingers softly. She can't hide the smirk creeping onto her lips when she hears the others let out a collective sigh of frustration. Then she looks directly at Betty and Jughead, an amused expression on her face.

"I just walked in on your parents making out" Neither Betty nor Jughead know which one of them Toni is talking to, but they both decide it could not have been them.

"That's not possible, my mom's not here"

"That's not possible, my dad's not here"

It's said almost at the same time and it's the truth for both of them. Jughead hasn't heard from his mother in three years and Betty hasn't seen her father in almost as long. It's just so highly unlikely, that either one of them should have shown up in town, let alone maybe both, and it's even more unlikely that either of their parents were reconciling their former marriages.

Toni laughs, pulling Cheryl onto her lap to make room for Fangs. The boy had just walked up to their group. "Oh no,no,no,no,no. I'm talking about half naked Mrs. Cooper with her tongue down an equally undressed Mr. Jones' throat" The two pairs of eyes that look like they are going to bulge out of their sockets makes her laugh again.

Both Betty and Jughead know, that amongst the Serpents their respective parents were considered the hottest people around and they really didn't mind the attention the adults are getting for it sometimes. Boys and men alike would give anything to score a date with her and so did all the girls and women with him. Toni would like to have them both. If she weren't so incredibly in love with Cheryl that is.

"Admittedly hot" Sweet Pea shares a look with Fangs, who's missed the first part of the conversation. "But not news"

Twin looks of bewilderment are send his way from the teens next to him. The others are better at hiding what they're thinking. "What?!" Betty finds the words to ask the question first.

"I'm not saying they're together" The boy backpedals at the fire in Betty's eyes. "But does this seriously surprise anyone?"

"Yea, you can't tell me you've never recognized that insane chemistry between them" Cheryl nods in agreement to the boy sitting next to her. She's seen it, too, she just didn't feel comfortable saying anything to either Betty of Jughead. It had taken her a long time to get where she is now, surrounded by friends and loved ones, and she hasn't been prepared to jeopardize that just to gossip about her friends' parents.

"I'm sorry Betty, but he's kind of right" The last thing the girl had expected is for her best friend to side with Fangs and Sweet Pea over this. At least Archie does look apologetic.

"No, you must be mistaken" The blonde tries. It's not like she doesn't want her mother to be happy and she did never expect the adult to spend the rest of her life alone after the divorce. But why did it have to be him? And why did it have to be at a time when she just realized she's in love with Jughead?

Toni shakes her head slightly, indicating no, there's been no mistake and focuses her attention on the girl in her lap. Archie and Veronica finally get back to making out. Fangs and Sweet Pea start a chat of their own. It seems this conversation is over. At least for the six people not at the very center of it.

"Where...?" Jughead's not sure how to end the question or what to do with the information he's going to receive but Toni answers him anyway.

"The employee bathroom we're technically not supposed to use"

And then the two teens are out of their seats, leaving their friends to their own devices. They have to go and see for themselves. They don't necessarily need to see their parents half naked and making out with each other but they * do * need to confirm that Toni has not just been messing with them.

In front of the right door, they stop for a moment and taking a deep breath, Jughead opens the door carefully and silent just a little.

As it turns out there is no need for quietness. A bomb dropping would probably not have disturbed the two people frantically trying to rid each other of their remaining clothes. Her back is pressed against the wall, one of her hands tangled in his hair to keep their lips connected, the other raking manicured fingernails down his naked back. Neither of the children want to know where * his * hands are exactly. By the noises coming from her they have a pretty good guess.

Jughead closes the door again, with more force than necessary and that's when the two of them finally dare to release the breath they've both been holding. Yea, this is going to be so awkward.

They are pulled form their stunned silence by footsteps behind them and Hermione Lodge pushing her way past them to reach the door the children have just been looking into. And as awkward as this situation between Betty and Jughead might or might not get, neither needs it to become even more so if Veronica's mother pushed the door open now.

"I wouldn't go in there" The question is in the raised eyebrow and Jughead doesn't see the use in hiding what's really going on. "Our parents are making out in there" As far as both of the children are concerned, this is * all * they'd just walked in on.

To their utter surprise, Hermione lets out a short laugh. "It took them only twenty-five years"


	3. A Perfect Family - Falice (1 of 1)

**Pairing: Alice Cooper/ FP Jones**

 **Summary: Alice and FP and a few children**

* * *

 **A Perfect Family**

 _World:_

 _A Riverdale where Alice stayed with FP and they lived (happily) ever after_

* * *

It's quiet in the house for the first time in over a week and the adults have every intention of savoring that. FP dropped the kids off at school in the morning, while Alice took care of the mess sick children had created. Now, they are exhausted from constant temperature taking, comforting and fluid administering. But they had, somehow, not managed to contract the flu themselves and for that they couldn't be more grateful. Taking care of four sniffling, coughing and runny nosed children had been draining enough.

Their first child had been a surprise senior year of High School and though neither of their parents had been thrilled and greatly supportive, they had decided not to give him up. They had been reckless and in love and up to a whole lot of stupid and illegal stuff and definitively not ready for a child. But with her pregnancy they had cleared up their act, ditched the no-good biker gang they both had been part of and had been determined to make this work – on their own if necessary. Their families had come through when they heard about their exit from the Serpents and had done everything in their power to secure them both a stable life until they were established enough to do that themselves. In turn, Chic had been named after her father Charles.

They had married in a small and intimate ceremony just a week before she found out she's pregnant with their second child. They had not really been trying for a child at this point, but they had talked about more children and decided that should it happen, they were prepared. Polly had been so much calmer and easier to handle than her older brother, who had been an incredibly fussy child. And he'd gotten even worse with the arrival of his sister. With just over two years old, he didn't understand all the attention that had been fixed on the little girl instead of him and had thrown more than a few tantrums about it. He had,however, always loved his baby sister, that had been very clear, too. Penelope had been given her mother's middle name and the woman couldn't have been happier to share that with her grand-daughter.

The third pregnancy had been completely planned. The twins however had not. They wanted one more child and though they knew it wouldn't be easy having three young children under the age of four it had been decided that this would be the best time. So she'd put off her applications for a job at the local newspaper, again, and he'd negotiated a higher salary on a minimal amount of more work hours and when she'd been late and the pregnancy test had been positive they'd been happy with it, and, for the first time, not surprised. The surprise had come at the doctor's appointment where they had been told they weren't expecting one, but two healthy children. The delivery had been hard and enduring and she had promised to kill him should he knock her up again, but Betty and Jughead had been worth it.

They'd put all of their meager savings together, sold the small house their parents had bought them right after High School, had reluctantly asked for more money from their families when their new home turned out to be more expensive than anticipated and had finally moved into a three bedroom house for rent. It had still been a tight fit after the twins were born, the two elder and the two younger kids having to share a room but they had, overall, more room to actually raise four children. Elizabeth had been proudly named after his mother and Forsythe Pendleton Jones III, or Jughead like he wants to be called recently, shares his name with his father and grandfather.

They had mutually decided that four children were enough and looking back onto the past week shows that it had been the right choice. Nine year old Chic got it first and though they had relocated him to the living room in a vain attempt to keep him from infecting seven year old Polly, the girl had already brought it home from school herself. The six year old twins were next and soon it hadn't been enough for Alice to spend all day taking care of the children while FP had been at work. He'd taken the next two weeks off work, just like his wife had done a few days earlier and they'd both found that staying home was more demanding than their respective jobs.

With a sigh Alice sinks down onto the couch next to her husband, lets her legs hand over the armrest and lays her head in his lap. His fingers stroke strands of hair out of her forehead and eyes absently, with his head leaning against the back of the couch. Both glad they still have a few more days off from work, and with all of the children back in school, the question of how to spend the day had been easy to answer. They would be doing completely nothing – okay, maybe not * completely * - and revel in the peace and quiet they'd missed so much. Who would have thought four kids could be that exhausting?!

He looks back down at her, when she reaches up to take his hand in hers and laces their fingers together. "I love you" She tells him with a smile. She couldn't have done this without him.

"I love you, too" He raises their joined hands and presses a few light kisses against the back of hers. He'd never thought he could love her even more than he'd done the moment she'd walked into his chemistry class when they were sixteen. Eight years of marriage and four beautiful children later he knows he had been mistaken. Still... "I don't think I want to do this with all four of them ever again" The tiredness is so obvious in his voice, that she would have felt bad for him if she weren't doing any different.

She gnaws on her lower lip for a long moment before she looks him straight in the eyes and says "Then I'm not sure how you react when I tell you there's going to be five of them next time."


	4. Family Affairs - PenelopeAlice (1 of 1)

**This is for** TheXtremeFangirl **thank you for the idea, and I hope I did it justice :)**

 **promt: So, my idea was, I guess you could say a mob AU? Basically Alice and Penelope are having an affair and having to work really hard to hide it because Hal and Clifford are intense rivals, and the girls are kind of afraid of what they'll do if they find out about the affair.**

* * *

 **Pairing: Alice Cooper/Penelope Blossom**

 **Summary: Alice and Penelope get closer than they should be**

* * *

 **Family Affairs**

 _World:_

 _A Riverdale where the Cooper's and the Blossom's are two rivaling mob families._

* * *

The first time she sees Penelope Blossom is at their daughters' dance recital and Alice Cooper thinks she's a stuck up bitch. The perfectly pinned up hair, the perfectly ironed clothes, the perfectly applied make-up, the perfect husband and the perfect second child. Alice has all of this, too, but there's just something about the other woman that makes Alice believe she thinks she's better than everyone else.

It's probably true, too. The Blossoms have always been rich and well-known and just generally judging people. Clifford Blossom had inherited the family business from his father, who had in turn gotten it from his own and so on. And when the time comes, it will fall into his son's hands. Officially the Blossom Business deals in Maple Syrup, has for as long back as anyone can remember, but everyone knows that that's just a front for what's really going on. You don't live like the Blossoms do, even with family money that had surely been acquired in the same fashion, by producing and selling Maple Syrup. Not even the self-acclaimed best one on the whole state. And Penelope, who'd come from money, too, had fit perfectly into the family.

Alice had grown up with a while lot less money and parents working two jobs just to be able to pay rent and put food on the table. She'd had a pretty great childhood, all together, but her parents never wanted her to end up like them. They wanted her to be able to provide for her children. So, when Hal Cooper asked her out on date she had agreed mainly for her mother and father, until she found she really liked him. They had married pretty quickly after that first date, and just a few weeks later, he'd taken over their own family business, that, if she's honest with herself, is just as shady as that of the Blossoms. But it's her family, so that's different.

She watches her husband steal hidden glances in the general direction Penelope and Clifford are sitting, always disguising it as something else, trying to figure out if this is just a simple outing to watch their daughter preform or if Clifford Blossom is using the opportunity to conduct business. She inconspicuously kicks him in the shin the tenth time, because no matter what the Blossoms are up to, * they * are here to support their child. He sends her an apologetic smile and focuses back on the stage in front of him, an arm slung over the back of the chair their elder daughter is occupying next to him. She can see he's still not solely focused on the play, but she ignores it this time. Clifford and Penelope Blossom are not really that interesting to her as they seem to be to Hal.

* * *

The first time she talks to Penelope Blossom, is because their other children had bonded over their complete lack of interest in dancing. Alice picks her daughter up from practice, only just in passing acknowledging the other woman's presence as she helps her own daughter into her street shoes, and the blonde turns her head for only the briefest of seconds and then suddenly she's alone with Betty, her older daughter nowhere to be seen. She heaves a sigh of frustration because it's not the first time seven year old Polly decided to wander off on her own. She's a good kid, but this is just dangerous and it seems like she's not willing to learn not to do it.

Betty pulls on her sleeve, indicating she's finished putting her dance outfit away, and hands the bag over to her mother eagerly. Alice takes it, her daughter's hand in her other one. Then she's off in search for Polly. Betty is cranky because practice had been tough and she's probably coming down with something, too and she just wants to go home and eat and sleep, and so Alice needs twice as much time to find her other child, though she's been looking in the same place for the third time now. She loves her daughters, cherishes every moment with them, but there are times she wishes she had that nanny her husband had insisted on hiring just after Polly's birth. It would be a lot simpler at times.

Alice spots the girl by the front door, outside, legs dangling from the bench back and forth. She seems to be deep in conversation with a red headed boy Alice recognizes as the second Blossom twin. Great, just what she needs, her daughter making friends with the enemy.

Okay, maybe * enemy * is a bit harsh, after all the boy is just six years old. Their respective fathers however are mortal enemies (again, maybe a bit much, but still the best way to describe it) and neither of them would be overly thrilled about that development. Alice couldn't care less. She bends down, tells Betty to please go back inside and look for that redhead and her mother – Alice learns her name is Cheryl – tell them the boy – Jason – is out here and come back out with them. Without wandering off like her sister. The girl promises and then hurries back inside the building while Alice approaches Polly and Jason.

"How often..." She starts,

"... did I tell you not to wander off like that?" and Penelope finishes from behind her, directing the question at her son. Both the children look sorry, but also not sorry enough to make it believable they won't do it again.

"I'm sorry mom" It's almost creepy how in sync the two children are after a five minute conversation.

Both Alice and Penelope decide not to chew out their kids in public, but usher a stern warning about 'talking about this at home'. Then Betty and Cheryl have joined their siblings on the bench, engaged so deep in conversation that it's hard to believe they've never even really met before. And so Alice Cooper and Penelope Blossom are reluctantly forced to make the barest of polite conversation, too.

They start with introductions, unnecessary as it is, because even though they haven't met in person yet, both families are popular enough. They move on to superficial small talk, covering the weather to clothes to last week's dance recital. They're fast running out of topics to cover, when, finally, Betty and Cheryl alike start to fuss about going home and the two families part on friendly enough, if not slightly awkward terms.

Alice decides not to mention the incident to her husband, since the only things she knows about the Blossoms come from Hal complaining and bad-mouthing the family. She knows they used to be friends – the two families – over a hundred years ago and she'd never cared enough to ask about the exact happenings, the Cooper's and the Blossom's are bitter rivals ever since – in business and apart from that.

* * *

The first time she meets with Penelope Blossom, is a month after the awkward post-practice conversation. The last four weeks, the two women have been slowly getting acquainted while dropping off and picking up their children from dance rehearsal twice a week. On the third session they had let Jason and Polly play for a while until they'd both had to head to different appointments. They hadn't seen each other at pick up and it had given them something to talk about the week later. On the fifth session Cheryl and Betty, who had become quite inseparable, had begged them for after-practice pizza and ice-cream but there had been no time and so they had promised to do this some other time. Both families had seriously been busy that day, but it had mainly given them time to think about a way to get out of it. The two women might not actually hate each other and they don't really see the harm in their children being friends, but both their husbands would not be incredibly fond of the idea. By the sixth practice they had casually exchanged phone numbers.

That's how the two women find themselves at a small cafe in town, amicably chatting over a cup of tea. It's neither forces nor awkward anymore and some time during their third refill Alice notices she's taken to staring at Penelope when the other woman's not looking. She shakes her head, clears her thoughts and decides to ignore the feeling she doesn't want to put a name to.

Penelope Blossom is nice and polite and not nearly as stuck up as Alice thought her to be and definitively not as bad as her husband always makes her out to be. The woman might have only married into the Blossom family, but Hal seems to be certain she's almost as devious as Clifford, if not more so.

But Alice doesn't see any of that and before the meeting is even over, they have agreed to make this a weekly thing.

* * *

The first time she kisses Penelope Blossom is at the twins' birthday party two months later. All four of the children have struck up a remarkable friendship in the past months and as much as their fathers don't like it, then men are not to forbid them that. If it makes the kids happy, so be it and on occasions like this party, they'll always have their wives to take care of it.

The women are in the kitchen since Alice volunteered to help preparing and bringing out the two cakes for the birthday kids. In no way could Alice explain what she'd been thinking in that moment, but she still knows that the moment her lips closed over the redhead's she hasn't been thinking at all anymore. It had been short and sweet and nothing more than a quick peck and Penelope hadn't reciprocate at all and Alice hadn't known why she did it in the first place. They hadn't talked about it. Hadn't even mentioned it. Had gone on like this never happened. Their children were still friends, they were still meeting once a week for tea and talk, they were still good. And it was fine like that.

Now all Alice has to do is find a way to not let too obviously show she has actual feelings for the other woman. She's not prepared to name the feeling just yet, but she can't deny that she feels * something * - or that Penelope seemingly doesn't.

* * *

The first time she sleeps with Penelope Blossom is six months after that awkward kiss, when she'd stumbled onto a rather tipsy redhead in a hotel bar. Alice had a huge fight with her husband and, she'd later found Penelope was in a similar situation. They'd gotten incredibly drunk together, Alice surprisingly resisted the constant urge to press her lips against the other woman's, and bad-mouthed their husbands. They'd ended up sharing a hotel room, sleeping off their drunkenness, curing their hangover with some eggs from the breakfast bar and then, since they somehow booked the room for two nights, headed back up to talk some more.

Two hours later, she has the redhead pressed into the bed sheets, hips firmly holding her in place. Her tongue is eagerly exploring Penelope's mouth and by the sounds coming from the woman beneath her there's no mistaking that they're both very much enjoying this. Both of them are already dressed in next to nothing, the clothes strewn all around the bed. And Alice has no idea how they ended up here.

The last thing she knows without a doubt is them talking, lounging comfortably next to each other on the bed. Then a hand accidentally brushing a thigh – she can't say who's hand or who's thigh – and then there might have been some heated looks and teasing touched involved, but neither of the women is exactly sure what happened. Their minds went blank when their lips finally touched.

It's only awkward for a moment, after. They look at each other for a long time, not willing to break the connection just yet and then Penelope grabs Alice's hand, pulls her along into the bathroom and the shower and it feels like they've been doing this for ages already. They kiss behind the closed door of their hotel room before heading back home to their respective families. A day later, it's their weekly tea appointment and after a long debate with herself, Alice is brave enough to send the text to meet her in the hotel instead of the cafe as usual.

It's becoming a regular occurrence after that. They'll meet in private and spend a few precious hours making love to each other. They are always careful, never arriving or leaving together, doing anything not to be placed into the same hotel room together by the staff. An affair is always a risky thing, but they come from two rivaling families with unpredictable husbands. Neither of the two women want to find out what'll happen if their relationship should be discovered.

But it goes on for months without anyone ever be aware of it.

* * *

The first time she says I love you to Penelope Blossom is when they realize this has gone too far. The blonde says it while cuddled up in bed, the redhead says it back without hesitation. Then they get dressed, kiss each other once more and then go their separate ways.

The next time they see each other they're pretending nothing's wrong.


	5. The Art Of Healing - Bughead (1 of 1)

This is for **Boris Yeltsin**. Thank you so much for the promt. It has been challenging and I loved writing it. I hope this is what yo had in mind :)

promt: Bughead doctor/patient meeting. Jughead, a doctor is with a patient, Betty Cooper, who was paralyzed ihn a car accident, and Jughead helps her to walk again after some time.

* * *

 **Pairing: Betty Cooper/ Jughead Jones**

 **Summary: Betty is paralyzed after an accident and her doctor, Jughead, helps her walk again**

* * *

 **Please note, that I have absolutely NO medical knowledge and what I did was take an actual case of this I found online and copied the medical terms and procedures.**

 **I am however intimately acquainted with the strain of not being able to walk and do shit on your own (though it has not been paralyses for me but rather a knee injury that left me permanently disabled on that leg) and how long and exhausting the recovery process and physical therapy is/can be for that.**

* * *

 **The Art Of Healing**

 _World:_

 _A Riverdale in the future where the teenagers are adults and Jughead didn't grow up on the Southside with no money_

He arrives back in town a week after the accident but he doesn't hear about it until his first day at the hospital. He and Betty had gone to the same school and attended the same classes ever since he can remember, but that's essentially all he knows about the woman. She had her group of friends and he had been hanging out with the complete opposite of them. He doesn't think they had ever even spoken to each other. She hasn't really changed much, though and so he recognizes her immediately when he walks by her open door on his way to the doctor's lounge.

She's sitting up in bed, her parents on either side of her, comforting the blonde. She's crying, motioning helplessly from her covered legs to the wheelchair in the corner and back, but she speaks too low for him to hear her actual words. He watches them for a moment longer, glad for the layout of the room, because he can see them perfectly, but they can't spot him lurking outside in the hallway. He wants desperately to know what has her so upset but he does not know her at all, and especially not good enough to just waltz into the room and ask her.

So he leaves her to her parents care and makes his way to the lounge, getting ready for his first shift at Riverdale General Hospital. It had not been his first choice, to come back, but his father had recently retired as the only neurosurgeon the small town hospital employs and Jughead had been asked to fill the position. It's not that he doesn't believe in his own abilities as a surgeon, but there were far more experienced doctors lining up for that job. He had accepted only after a long talk with his father, who had been determined that a smaller hospital would be much better for patient care than the big one in New York Jughead had been working at for the last five years.

It takes exactly fifteen minutes and a bored and gossipy nurse for him to find out exactly what had happened to Betty Cooper. He hadn't asked, but the woman had started talking to him the very moment he'd shown up at the nurses' station in his white coat. She's old enough to have been around even when he and Betty had been little children and she confirms as much when she starts telling him about the poor girl she'd snuck a shitload of ice cream to when she had her tonsils taken out ages ago.

Apparently, the poor girl had been hit by a drunk driver five days ago and had severe damage to her spinal cord. She'd been unconscious and barely breathing and had been rushed into the emergency room and then onward into the OR immediately. The surgeons had been able to stop the internal bleeding caused by the pressure of the airbag and managed to control the swelling in her brain caused by the impact of the other car. They had just barely saved her life, but unfortunately neither of them had been trained to repair her spine. The specialist they had come in two days later had taken a good look at her x-rays and had confirmed what she'd already been afraid of. There was nothing he could do, leaving her paralyzed from the waist down for the rest of her life.

It's not like he doesn't trust other doctor's opinions and diagnosis, but this is his specialty and, more importantly, his hospital now, which makes the woman his patient and he'd be damned if he would just give up on her without taking a look for himself.

It takes him another two days before he's caught up with his other patients before he can finally take another look at her x-rays. He doesn't like what he sees, but he's not prepared to give up yet either, so he, after a short introduction as her new surgeon, orders another set of x-rays and a CT scan and contacts and old colleague in New York with the results. And then it's another day later when the colleague finally gets back in touch with him and he's in luck. There * is * something they can do. He doesn't waste time telling her.

"But they told me I would never walk again, because I lost so much spinal fluid and my spine is just too damaged" She wants to believe him. There's nothing she wants more right now than being able to walk again, no matter how hard it will be or how long it will take. But she's already been told there's no use in operating and she doesn't know this doctor any better than the one they had brought in to give her the bad news, so why should she trust him with this? The white coat and the medical degree are not an answer, because the other one had that, too and * he * thought she's going to be paralyzed for life.

"This is going to be a very delicate and complex surgery, but if we do this, I * can * repair the damage to your spine, take the pressure off" He's determined to make her see the potential here. If she doesn't want it, then he won't talk her into it, but nobody should be able to say he didn't do anything in his power to help her. "It will be a long recovery process but with the right post-operation care and extensive physical therapy you could be walking on your own again."

She's intrigued enough to let him tell her all about the surgery, what it will entail and * how * risky exactly it will be and then he gives her time to think about it. When her parents visit her that same afternoon, she relays everything he'd told her to them, asking their opinions and listening to their concerns. In the end she rings for the nurse in the evening, asking for him and when he enters her room, she agrees to the surgery. The genuine happiness in her eyes makes him do something he's sworn to never ever do; he promises her she will walk again.

He sets the surgery for the following week, giving her head injury the proper time to heal more fully before putting her under a long sedation again and to arrange for two of his former colleagues and friends to come and assist him. This operation is risky enough on it's own, so he needs at least another specialist in the field of neurosurgery in the OR with him because should anything happen, he needs a second pair of trained eyes to help him find what's wrong.

To their collective relieve the surgery went off without a hitch and the surgical team is able to realign the spine to release the pressure on the spinal cord the accident had created and free the dysfunction to the nervous system. Now it is up to her to find the strength and will to walk again.

For the next several weeks, he visits her every day, starting off with questions about her well-being and checking for any progress or problems and staying for as long as he can, simply talking to her. It's during the third week, when he addresses her as Ms. Cooper, again, that she finally tells him to call her Betty, since he doesn't seem to be willing to do is on his own. They might not have interacted at all during their time in school, but she still remembers him and it's clear he remembers her, too and so she feels incredibly uncomfortable when he calls her Ms. When he agrees and asks her to call him Jughead, she laughs. It's what he went by as a teenager, because he didn't like his given name and somehow she thinks it fits that he never gave it up. It * does * suit him a lot better than Forsythe Pendleton Jones III.

They strike up a close friendship while she's under his care and while she might not ever have seen him as a potential friend during their school days, she finds he's funny and nice and someone she can actually trust a great deal.

It's about eight weeks after her surgery, that she wakes up to a strange sensation in lower leg and finds that the medical folder they had kept on her beside tray has fallen down during the night and is pressing one of its corners into her flesh. She sits up and reaches down to pick it up and that's when it finally registers in her brain. She can feel it.

She pushes the button to call for the nurse and she cries when the nurse comes back with Jughead trailing right behind her. He's alarmed for just a moment, and then he sees her smile and he's at her side in an instant. He smiles at her, too, prodding and probing and examining her legs until he's satisfied that she's not imagining it, but actually * feels * every and all of his touches. That's the day they change her physical therapy plan to getting her out off bed on her own feet.

A week later he sees her walk by the nurses station on her crutches, her parents close at both her sides to catch her if necessary. She's never looked more happy than in this moment.

Three months after her surgery, she's allowed to go home. Her progress is astounding and with another few months of physical therapy to rebuild her strength and endurance she is expected to make a full recovery and get rid off the crutches and the wheelchair she still uses for extra exhausting tasks for good.

She's still coming in for therapy every other day and she has no idea how he manages it, but he's there for every one of her appointments, waiting for her outside the office. He goes in with her, talks to her, encourages her and distracts her when she's too tired with all this and wants to just give it all up. But he won't let her, and eight months after he accident she makes her very first trip to therapy without any help at all.

And when, another months later, her physical therapy sessions are over and she has no excuse anymore to see him every day, he asks her out on a date. She accepts with a teasing smile, after all she owes him for keeping his promise, but when she kisses him at the end of the night it has nothing to do with her owing him anything at all.


	6. Good In Change - HermioneAlice (1 of 1)

**This is for** thegaygumballmachine **... thank you for the promt and I hope this is what you wanted :)**

 **promt: When Alice gets transferred to Riverdale HS in her junior year, the first person she meets is Hermione via the cliche 'dropped my books' trope. However, it's Hermione whose books have dropped, and she refuses any help, which starts to change Alice's impression of the Northsiders altogether, as does the rest of Hermione's general personality.**

* * *

 **pairing: Alice Cooper/Hermione Lodge**

 **summary: Alice meets Hermione, who in turn changes her whole life**

* * *

 **The Good in Change**

 _World:_

 _A Riverdale with the parents still in High School (I count this as an A/U situation fitting in here because we don't know about their HS time, even though technically after the happenings of that story the Riverdale we know and love could still be existing_

* * *

Alice had never spared any thought about getting out off the Southside and her home, wanted to put on the leather jacket associated with their biker gang for as long as she can remember. And when she finally did, just days after her sixteenth birthday, her parents had completely freaked and taken her out off school to enroll her at Riverdale High. They, quite frankly don't want her being part of the criminal side of living on the Southside and Alice doesn't care for her parents opinion. All her friends are at Southside High, the boy the thinks she has a crush on is at Southside High and she's afraid none of those want to have to do anything with her anymore when she's going to the better school, becoming a better person. It sounds exactly like a plan the mind of a pissed off sixteen year old would come up with, but she's determined to get kicked out off the establishment as soon as possible.

Part of that plan includes walking into the front doors of Riverdale High on her first day, clad in her Serpent jacket over a low-cut black shirt, paired with jeans shorts and a pair of boots she'd lifted from her mother's closet in the morning, behaving like she owned the place. She doesn't fit in one bit appearance wise and she will definitively not make her self fit in in any other capacity either. She doesn't need all those stuck up people thinking they're better than her just because they grew up in beautiful big houses on the respected part of town. She doesn't plan on staying long among them anyway and, if for some reason she ended up attending his place for the next two years, she has no intention of making any friends. Not that any Northsider would want to be friends with her anyway.

Her parents had begged her to try to make this work. Graduating at Riverdale High held way more appeal than graduating at Southside High and it would open her a lot more doors for her future – for the future her parents want her to have. They'd tried to reason with her that, maybe, she would even find a nice boy that would get her out off the Southside for good. Alice had laughed at them, told them flat out she was going to marry FP Jones when they were old enough and take over the Serpents from his father, because that is the life she want to have and not become one of the stuck up people that look down at them right now.

There is exactly nothing and no one that could ever be able to change her mind, until she bumps into Hermione. Alice is preoccupied with her mental list of people she doesn't want to get to know and people she * definitively * doesn't want to get to know, when a slender brunette drops her books just mere inches from the blonde's foot. When she follows long legs and a designer dress up towards the person she ran over, she's met with a pretty face and dark eyes. Beautiful dark eyes that don't hold the expression Alice had come to expect. Rather than being angry for being bumped into, the other girl looks surprised and kind enough, that Alice finds herself apologizing for not watching were she was going. It's the exact thing Alice told herself just seconds ago she would not do.

And then the pretty brunette surprises * her *. "Don't apologize, it was my fault after all" It could just as easily be the truth, since Alice has absolutely no idea what had actually happened, which in turn makes her believe it had not been the brunette's fault at all. "I'm Hermione, by the way" The other girl introduces herself while kneeling down to stack her books and papers together.

"Alice" She's so taken aback by the situation, that she doesn't even notice that she comes off rude probably. It's what she had wanted to be just minutes earlier, but something about this Hermione startled her. Hadn't the girl seen her outfit? Hadn't the girl noticed the leather jacket she's proudly wearing? Didn't the girl know she's supposed to look down in disgust on Serpents and people from the trailer park? Maybe not all Northsiders were like the ones Alice had come to know, with their noses high up in the air and no nice word toward a lowly Southsider. "You're not like the other Northsiders. You're actually nice"

"And you're not like the other Southsiders." Hermione looks up at her through her lashes. "You're actually not rude" Great, Alice thinks, she didn't even pull * that * off.

She bends down to help pick up Hermione's things, after all she is still at fault here somehow, too, but the other girl stops her. Tells her she doesn't need to do that, since it is * not * her fault and Alice refuses to let her do it alone and argues the fact until they're both standing again, Hermione's books neatly picked up and in the girl's arms. Then they share a laugh, because they can see now how ridiculous this whole situation had been. Much to her annoyance, Alice finds she might actually have found one Northside girl she would want to be friends with.

It's her second week at Riverdale High and Alice had spent the last thirteen days getting acquainted with Hermione's friends and deepening her friendship with the girl herself. Ever since their first meeting they seem to be inseparable, much to all of the schools' surprise. Alice is not really convinced of all the Northsiders being nice and normal people, but Hermione is and that's all that matters since * she's * the one Alice wants to be friends with.

They had happily learned that they would be attending the same classes and Hermione had promptly walked her to the office to get her signed in and had refused to leave to be in class on time. Alice had stood up for Hermione with their teacher when they had finally made it to class and, it's not exactly how her parents had envisioned her making friends, but the two girl had bonded some more over detention. Hermione had said it must be school record getting detention during your first hour at Riverdale High and Alice actually had been proud of herself for that. She wanted to cause trouble after all.

Hermione's parent didn't like her and that made their friendship even more special. Hermione had been the good girl with straight A's and flawless attendance, and where that hadn't changed, they had been less than thrilled about their daughter's detention time. Hermione loved to spite her parents and so she didn't give a damn about them trying to forbid them to hang out. Alice's parents on the other hand had been thrilled their daughter was making friends and hoped it would be just a matter of time, before the girl realized that FP Jones and the biker gang wasn't what the future had planned for her.

And Alice's views on all things Northside began to change, too. At first it were just subtle things she noticed when she didn't roll her eyes at Mary's antics and comments, but it soon developed into visible changes when she started coming to school dressed more appropriately and actually found she was enjoying herself gossiping about other students. The leather jacket never stayed home, she wasn't prepared for that yet, but maybe the Serpents weren't everything life had to offer. Not even for her.

Mostly though, it was Hermione that had Alice thinking. She wasn't like the rest of them, and she knows how cliché that sounds, but it's true. She is beautiful and smart and gorgeous, with enough money and prominence to do whatever the hell she likes, and still the girl willingly chooses to hang out with her and publicly defend her should somebody talk down to the Southside girl. It's everything Alice never had in a friend until now, not even with the Serpents who will always be there for her, and it's everything Alice doesn't want to lose ever again. The fact, that she might be developing a slight girl crush on her best friend doesn't even matter, because she's willing to ignore a feeling she's not even a hundred percent sure she has in favor of their friendship.

When Penelope walks down the hallway the first day after their next break, looking like she'd spent it becoming a whole new her, every boy and girl is staring at her. Hermione's jaw drops to the floor and Alice, standing beside her, can see it too, but that doesn't mean she's not jealous. She might have tried to smother that little flame, but Hermione had never looked at her like that and though she tries to pretend it doesn't, it hurts just that little bit.

For the last several weeks Hiram had been constantly flirting with Hermione and the girl had definitively liked the attention, which means she's probably not interested in girls that way and that's fine, because it's easier not being jealous of a boy when she knows the * boy * part is why she won't ever have a chance.

"Damn" Hermione whispers next to her. She drapes one of her arms around Alice's shoulders and leads her down the hallway to their first class. "Is it just me, or did she become hot all of a sudden?" The blonde can't help but think that it's maybe not * girls * Hermione's not into like that, but just Alice. She briefly thinks about actually crying about it tonight – or hooking up with FP again. He's been a pretty good distraction from her unrequited crush for a while now.

"Not to sound like I am flirting with you, because I'm not" Yea, great start, that was * so * not suspicious at all. She goes on anyway, no point in keeping quiet. "But you're way hotter than she is" It's true in any case – stupid feelings or not.

Hermione smiles in thanks and then she stops in the middle of the hallway, turning to face the blonde. "I wouldn't mind if you were" She lifts one of her shoulders in a light shrug, turns to leave but Alice grabs her by the hand and spins her around again.

"I kind of have a boyfriend" She's never called him that, at least not since she's actually doing stuff with him. Before, she didn't want anything more than that, but now she's feeling things for Hermione and if the brunette weren't a girl Alice would have acted on them forever ago already. But she's scared, because it's the first time she's crushing on a girl and so the best way to deflect the conversation is by pointing out she's not gay – even if she's not a hundred percent sure that's true at all.

"I'm not asking you out" And somewhere in there Alice can read the true meaning behind the words. The brunette is waiting for her, because Hermione's interested all right, but she also knows Alice doesn't yet know what she wants and that's okay. Whenever the time should come in which Alice has made up her mind, Hermione is there to be asked out.


	7. The Act Of Caring - Choni (1 of 1)

**Another idea from** Boris Yeltsin **. Thank you**

 **promt: Not sure on details, but, Toni takes Cheryl in after Cheryl shows up at her house, having been beaten badly by Penelope**

* * *

 **pairing: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz**

 **Summary: Cheryl seeks comfort in Toni after something happens to her**

 **Warning: This Story deals with abuse and violence and both are described, although not excessively**

* * *

 **The Act of Caring**

 _World_

 _The Riverdale we all know and love... This is technically not an A/U fitting in here, because it follows the actual storyline we get from the show, but I loved the idea so much that I decided to do it anyway. And as long as they don't use that exact idea in the next few episodes (which I sadly highly doubt) this is technically not canon... Also, I tried to make Cheryl a bit less of a bitch ( I love her, don't hate please) and Penelope a bit more of one, maybe this qualifies this as an A/U._

* * *

"I'm sorry, but I didn't know where else to go" It's not what Toni had expected to hear the moment she opened her front door. Neither had been the sight of Cheryl Blossom standing before her, crying. The bruises on her face look fresh, but still old enough to have turned a visible shade of blue and red. The split lip isn't bleeding anymore, but it's swollen and Toni's sure there's no way the redhead is able to see through her left eye.

Since having been transferred to Riverdale High the two girls have not had one civil conversation with each other, their hostile ones summing up to exactly three, but still there's no hesitation when Toni opens the door wider and steps aside to let the other girl in. She's heard enough about Cheryl Blossom that she's sure there is really no place for her to go in a situation like that, but what Toni doesn't understand is why her? There are so many other people Cheryl's not friends with that would not have send her away looking like this, but she made the trip all the way over to the Southside to ring her doorbell in the middle of the night. It doesn't make sense, as the Serpent is determined to find out the motive behind that decision, but not right now. Right now she is going to make sure Cheryl is okay and that she knows she can stay as long as she likes or needs. And maybe she will even find out what happened at all.

She closes the door behind them and leads Cheryl into her bedroom with a comforting arm around her. She can't help but notice the shivering and how Cheryl shies away from her touch for the briefest of moments. Then she relaxes visibly and Toni thinks she's realized where she is and that she's not in danger anymore. She deposits the crying girl on her bed, wraps her in a throw blanket and tells her she'll be right back.

In the kitchen she rummages through cupboards and drawers until she finds the first aid kit. She takes that back into her room, along with a bowl of hot water and a few dishtowels. She leaves the door open while she starts looking through the first aid kit in search for whatever she'd need; she doesn't want to scare the girl any further than she already is. A closed door means no way out and since Toni has still no idea what had happened, she's not sure how Cheryl will react to that. The girl looks calm enough, watching Toni's every move, but she's still obviously terrified. And rightly so – whatever happened must have been bad judging by the girl's face.

For all her time in the Southside and with the Serpents, Toni has never seen anyone beaten up so badly, and here people say they are the bad influence in town. She doubts it * was * one of the Serpents, too, because a turf war in school won't ever escalate so much – at least not like this, they've always been taught how to pick their battles wisely. Beating up a lone girl who's making snide remarks in school is not.

"Could you close that?" Toni almost doesn't hear it, but when she looks back at Cheryl the girl is motioning to the open door. So Toni walks over and pushes it closed, glad Cheryl feels comfortable enough with it. "Thank you" And it's another thing Toni never would have expected to come out of Cheryl Blossom's mouth, directed at her. This really must be bad, Toni thinks.

She cleans the read head's face carefully and in silence, making sure not to hurt her anymore that what is unavoidable. The disinfectant stings and Toni grimaces along with Cheryl because she swears she'd almost feel it, too, and then she places some bandages over the smaller cuts and leaves her alone again, only to reappear with another dishtowel stashed with frozen peas. Cheryl thankfully puts it on her aching face while watching Toni put away the contents of the first aid kit. There's some more silence as Toni opens her closet, offers the other girl some comfortable clothes and turns around to stare out the window while Cheryl changes.

When she turns back around, the read head is leaning against the headboard, dressed in shorts and an over sized shirt and it's a look Toni'd been sure she would never get to see. She can't deny, that ever since the drag race she's been having a little crush on the other girl and seeing her dressed in her clothes, on her bed, does things to Toni she's not prepared to say out loud. But then one glance at Cheryl's bandaged and banged up face has Toni remember that this is not what they are here for – and that she still has no idea * why * they are here at all. She's about to ask, but Cheryl actually provides an answer beforehand.

"Tomorrow's Register will print an exclusive about my mother's profession, which entails entertaining the lonely men of Riverdale" Toni is next to her in an instant, wrapping the girl in her arms. Who's beating up a girl because of what her mother does to provide for her? "Mrs. Cooper was all too willing to take my mother down after sleeping with her husband" Maybe there's been a smile in there somewhere, Toni thinks she's felt it against her throat, but that doesn't make any sense. Betty's mother exposing her own shouldn't amuse the girl, especially not after being beaten up over it. Come to think of it...

"Cheryl, who did this?" Toni's prepared to line up every Serpent in their gang to go after whoever asshole is hitting teenager's over their mother's job preferences. And then something registers in her mind. "Wait, you said tomorrow's. Cheryl..." None of this makes sense anymore, unless...

"I told my mother I talked to Betty's mom" And this time, Toni is sure she can feel something against her throat, but it's more tears and she holds the sobbing girl tighter to her.

"Oh my god, Cheryl. I'm so sorry" They spend another half an hour in silence, only broken by the occasional sniffle. Toni doesn't know what to say and since it's not her fault she opts against any more apologies. They won't help the girl.

When there are no more tears to be cried, Cheryl finally opens up about what had transpired that afternoon. She'd been subject to her mother's aggressive behavior once or twice before, but it had always been limited to vicious words and the occasional thread of violence Penelope never enforced. And Cheryl being Cheryl had taunted her mother with equally vicious words and mental images of how her perfect reputation will be in ruins come the next morning and somewhere in between a rather harsh expletive thrown in her mother's face the woman had finally lost her temper.

The first hit had resulted in the the rather prominent black eye Cheryl's sporting now, the next tearing down her cheek and leaving a nasty bruise. Cheryl had been too shocked to do anything else than laugh right in her mother's face and as an answer she had received a split lip when Penelope's ring caught the flesh during a third swipe. The read head had high tailed it out off the house after that, spending hours hiding in her and Jason's favorite spot in the woods until it had gotten dark and she reluctantly realized she can't stay there over night. And with no actual friends to turn to, she had ended up on Toni's doorstep without even thinking about where she's going.

"I will not let you go home to that woman" Toni says when Cheryl stops talking. "You can stay here as long as you want"

"Thank you" It's the second time in an hour that she says it and Toni thinks she could get used to that. It's so not Cheryl, but that makes it so much more adorable, too. They fall asleep together, and when they wake up the next morning in each other's arms, the question of why Cheryl had chosen to come to her is irrelevant, since Toni can read it clearly from her face.


	8. Por Amor - HermioneAlice (1 of 1)

**Another one for** Thegaygumballmachine **thank you, and I hope you like it.**

 **Promt: Alice learns several romantic phrases in Spanish just so that she can say them to Hermione, successfully without the other woman's knowledge. Bonus if you can include "mi vida", because I feel like spiting Hiram today. ;)**

* * *

 **Pairing: Alice Cooper/Hermione Lodge**

 **Summary: Alice has a surprise for Hermione**

* * *

 **Please note:** **I speak just enough spanish to have passed my final exams some years ago, so please be advised that most of those phrases haven been translated via online translator and the help of my best friend who used to be just that bit better but is by no means fluent, too. Please bear with me here, and if anyone shold feel that I need to revisisit any of those sentences, then please, feel free to tell me and help me put them correctly. I'm always glad for the help :) thank you**

* * *

 **Por Amor**

 _World:_  
 _A Riverdale in present time where Alice and Hermione are happily together after their respective divorces_

* * *

It's four days until their anniversary and Alice has a plan she needs to set into motion right now, to make her gift even more special. Three years and all the Spanish she knows is how to say * I Love you * and * Happy Birthday * and Alice thinks it's high time she changes that. Especially since she plans on spending the rest of her life with Hermione.

After her divorce she'd never thought she'd feel like that again for someone else, but when Hiram Lodge had ended up back in jail the two women had bonded and somewhere along the line Alice had found that she'd fallen in love with the brunette. Shortly after, Hermione had filed for divorce from her own husband and not long after that they had made their relationship public. When they had moved in together their children had been ecstatic, because now they weren't just best friends but practically sisters, too.

And now, almost three years later they are as in love as ever and Hermione had never said anything about the fact that Alice didn't speak spanish, but it's Alice who decided that they can't go on like this. She'd registered for a language class conveniently taking place on the day of the week, when Hermione has to stay longer at work and though she knows she will never be as fluent as her girlfriend, a few romantic phrases and the ability to string together two or three coherent sentences (and understanding the answers) shouldn't be too hard. At least that's what she thought, until she had almost given up twice. But she'd pushed herself harder than ever and now, is incredibly proud of her accomplishments.

On the first day she opts for something simple and wakes up her lover with breakfast in bed (it's Sunday and neither of them needs to be at work) and the words "Buenos días mi amor" It's not much, and it's easy enough that she could have picked it up from Hermione herself, since it's a common phrase from her. Her effort is greeted with a kiss and a heartfelt * thank you * and then they settle in to share coffee and pancakes. When they go to bed that night, Alice throws in a "Buenas noches mi amor"

On the second day Alice bids Hermione goodbye before heading to work with "Tener un buen día en el trabajo" and an "I love you" and at least the second one is so unspectacular, that Hermione misses the moment she should be asking how she knows to say the first. Arriving back home and telling your girlfriend in perfect spanish that you missed her seems to raise questions, but Alice is quick to distract the other woman. When she again, ends the night with "Buenas noches y dulces sueños mi amor" Hermione is content enough not to question the use of spanish.

On the third day Alice texts Hermione "¿Cuándo llegas a casa esta noche?" and it's the first time Hermione asks what's going on with the Spanish. Alice plays it down, after all it's a text message, she could have easily just copied that sentence from a translator and send it. She forgets for a moment that she shouldn't be able to understand "¿Por qué hablan español tanto de repente?", but when she texts back it's too late. Tomorrow's her big reveal anyway and so Alice spreads the take out she'd picked up after work out on the table, pours two glasses of red wine and waits for her girlfriend to come home. After "¿Cómo fue el trabajo de mi amor?" and "Sentarse, me trajo la cena" and "Porque es nuestro aniversario mañana, ¿qué le gustaría hacer?" Hermione can't take it anymore. But for all of the woman's questions Alice has a plausible answer (She'd asked Veronica to write down a few things and all she does is read it off the paper – it's nothing she will probably remember next time she needs it unfortunately). She wants the fact that she's speaking enough Spanish to have a meaningful conversation with Hermione's family to be a surprise she's only going to reveal tomorrow.

So, when on the fourth day Hermione proposes to her in full Spanish (it was supposed to be English, but she wanted to prove a suspicion) and without a ring or going down on her knees and Alice accepts without a second thought the other woman is determined to finally find out the truth. She kisses her new fiancee, slips the ring she has but would have given away her intent immediately no matter which language she used onto the blonde's finger and then she pulls her down onto the couch and asks "¿Por qué hablan español tanto de repente? Usted sabe que yo nunca te mente no está hablando, ¿verdad?"

And Alice nods, proud of herself for understanding every single word. "I know. But" She says in English and then effortlessly switches over into Spanish "Te amo mucho, mi vida. Tomé una clase de español para usted porque usted es todo para mí y quiero pasar el resto de mi vida con usted si usted tendrá de mí. Y yo podría haber nos compró unas entradas para visitar a su familia"

* * *

Translations: (I think a few of them are pretty easy and/or self - explanatory, but if I need to put more, please, also, feel free to contact me)

Porque es nuestro aniversario mañana, ¿qué le gustaría hacer?

\- Since it's out anniversary tomorrow, what do you want to do?

¿Por qué hablan español tanto de repente? Usted sabe que yo nunca te mente no está hablando, ¿verdad?

\- Where does all of that Spanish come from suddenly? You do know I never minded you not speaking it, right?

Te amo mucho, mi vida. Tomé una clase de español para usted porque usted es todo para mí y quiero pasar el resto de mi vida con usted si usted tendrá de mí. Y yo podría haber nos compró unas entradas para visitar a su familia

\- I love you so much, mi vida. I took a spanish class just for you because you are everything to me and I want to spend the rest of my life with you if you'll have me. And I might have bought us some tickets to visit your family.


	9. Business Arrangements -Charchie (1 of 1)

**This one is for** -rich **Hope this is what you have been looking for :)**

* * *

 **Pairing: Cheryl Blossom/Archie Andrews**

 **Summary: Cheryl and Archie are forced to marry each other without ever having met**

* * *

 **Business Arrangement**

 _World_

 _A Riverdale where the Blossoms are boss of Riverdale (kinda like the Lodge's right now :D ) and the Andrews do the same in Greendale_

* * *

It's a business deal she is informed on her 18th birthday. One that has been arranged even before either of the children had been even born and her parents have dreaded telling them for almost as long. But it's what have kept the family in business, and more importantly incredibly rich and in this society, this is really all that matters. Cheryl can't deny she likes the money, but is this extravagant lifestyle a good trade for her freedom?

In any case, it's too late now, unless she plans to run away in the next two weeks, and since that would break her beloved brother's heart, she won't. The wedding with the Andrews' boy has been set up twenty years ago, which had given the people involved a pretty long time to organize and plan. Unfortunately for Cheryl Blossom and Archie Andrews, this means they are to be married in a big and public wedding, about two weeks after the girl turns eighteen. It also doesn't matter that neither of them had ever met their betrothed even once in their lives.

The Blossoms used to be the family calling all the shots in their small town for centuries. That is, until the Andrews family settled there some decades ago. Cheryl isn't sure on the details, but somehow the Blossoms have been dethroned and they didn't take it well. A family feud lasting for fifteen years had broken free and neither of the two families had shied away from violence and murder. So, one day, one of their respective ancestors came up with a pact to keep the peace. The Andrews' relocated over to the next town, getting Greendale under their control pretty easily, and the Blossoms would get back Riverdale. Neither was supposed to set foot into the other's territory. Until the first born children of both families reached eighteen years of age, then they would merge their families into one and control all of this side of Sweetwater River.

Cheryl has no intention of marrying some boy she'd never met before, tells her parents as much. They don't care, not that she would have expected anything else, and prepare for tomorrow night's dinner. Because, of course Cheryl will not have to marry a boy she's never met before, that's why Archie and his parents are invited over and then the girl is expected to leave with them, to move into her new home before the wedding. There would be no cancellation, no matter what, but all of the involved thinks it's best for the future bride and groom to get to know each other some before vows are exchanged.

She spends the night locked in her room, in turn video chatting with Veronica and Betty and venting to her brother. Jason is engaged to Betty's older sister, out of their own free will, and she's happy for both of them, but it pisses Cheryl off that she has to be the one being forced into an arranged marriage. It's the twentieth century for god's sake, gay relationships are just as common, so why can't her brother just be forced into this?! Before hanging up and going to bed, she invites all three girls to the wedding and a bachelorette party, because if this is her wedding, than she'll do it her way.

She meets Archie Andrews for the first time out in the backyard, where she has just readied her archery gear and for a split second she debates if accidentally shooting him would get her out of this. She decides that it would probably get her into more trouble than she would get out of and so she puts the boy and arrow to the side and pretends to be interested in meeting him.

The first thing she notices is that his hair color matches hers and she thinks that she at least doesn't have to worry about her children not inheriting it. Then she mentally slaps herself. She doesn't know the guy and she doesn't want to marry him, so why is she picturing their children in her head? He's taller then her and she has to look up to see his face and she doesn't like it one bit – neither the face, nor the fact she can only see it by looking up.

The face is incredibly handsome and he looks like someone Cheryl could have easily fallen in love with given the right time and circumstances, but she's protesting against this union on principle alone and so she is * not * thinking about how attractive he is. Because really, he isn't. No way. And then he starts to speak and she prays she is not seriously melting into a puddle right before him, just like her mind tells her she is. Damn, and how is it possible that her family has found the man of her dreams before either of them had even been born?!

She swears she's in love with him when he tells her he won't marry her if she didn't want to. He would find a way out of this, without hurting either one of their families, she just had to say the word. It's everything she has been thinking of ever since her parents told her about the wedding, but she's not sure anymore if she actually wants it. Could it really be that bad being married to a handsome guy you might even be already developing feelings for?

And then it hits her. Maybe * he * doesn't want her and is looking for a way out himself and so she tells him to please do exactly that, because arranged marriages are so not her thing. She's crying over it later that night in her room, her two best friends just a phone call away and her brother again sitting beside her, though he's not entirely sure he knows what's going on.

Cheryl leaves with Archie and his family two days later, because there * is * no way to get out off this and this marriage is absolutely happening. They are not speaking to each other, not even actually looking in the others direction and Cheryl can just feel the comfortableness set in deep in her bones. So this is what the rest of her life will look like, she thinks. With any luck, she won't have to share his bed, and the wedding night and formal meetings are the only occasions she's required to actually be his wife. Because she can play that game, too. If he doesn't want her, she doesn't want him either. This is nothing but a business deal and it will never be anything else.

They spend the next two weeks in separate bedrooms, only interacting when there is absolutely no other choice but to and it seems that nobody cared even in the slightest that they were about to marry two people that can't stand each other.

Cheryl has her bachelorette party three days before the wedding, and she knows Archie is doing * something * that night, too, but hell if she pretends the cares. Betty and Veronica arrive at the house in full on party mood, despite the circumstances and the red head decides to fully take advantage of a night out. Her friends try to be reasonable, try to cut her off more than once as the night progresses but when Cheryl get home that night she's just sober enough to make it to her bedroom without breaking her legs on the stairs.

And when she wakes up in the morning with a monstrous hangover, her head is nestled onto Archie's shoulder and their arms are slung around each other in sleep. She's about to snap at him, ask him what the hell he thinks he's doing in her room, in her bed, when she sees he's awake and smirking down on her. He's not in her bed, but rather she's stumbled into the wrong one last night and the boy didn't have the heart to kick her out. He'd been watching her sleep for the last thirty minutes, thinking maybe she doesn't hate him as much as she used to anymore.

"Good morning" He's smiling, and she hates that smile, because it makes her insides weak when she is supposed to hate him.

"Morning" She's embarrassed, enough so to hide her face in his shoulder, even of that puts them in an even more intimate position. "I'm so sorry, I didn't mean to..." She trails off. She didn't mean to * what *? Fall asleep in his bed, in his arms? Get so drunk last night that she didn't even notice? Fall in love with him when he clearly doesn't want her?

"Don't be" He reassures and she doesn't feel any better after it. It just shows even more that she's right. He doesn't want her, and today, she has just enough alcohol in her system still to be pissed about it. So she does what she has sworn herself she wouldn't do – ever. She confronts him about it.

"What is your problem with me?" She pulls her arms back to her own body and shifts so her head is laying on her own pillow, not him anymore.

"I don't..." He starts, but she doesn't even hear him, cuts him off mid sentence in her rambling.

"Is it just because we are forced into this, or are you actually not the least bit interested in me?" This time she stops and looks at him, awaiting his answer. He takes a moment longer to make sure she's really finished.

"You think I'm not interested in you?" Is she crazy? How can she not know that she's the most beautiful girl he's ever seen? Maybe, he chastises himself, it's because he's never told her that. "You were the one asking me to find a way out off this arrangement" He rakes a hand through his hair and props himself up against the headboard.

"Only because I thought * you * didn't want this"

And then they are actually laughing at how ridiculous this situation is. Have they really been spending the last two weeks avoiding each other and dreading the upcoming wedding for nothing? Were they really on the same page here? When he leans down to capture her lips lightly with his she thinks, yes, it seems like they are.

They are both smiling in their wedding picture.


	10. Blind Date - Falice (1 of 1)

**Pairing: Alice Cooper/ FP Jones**

 **Summary: A blind date... kind of.**

* * *

 **Blind Date**

 _World_

 _A Riverdale in which Alice never married Hal and they broke up ages ago already and she's raising their two children practically on her own. The Jones' are new to town._

* * *

"No" It's not the first time she's said the exact same thing in the last week and she doesn't plan on changing her mind, but her daughter just won't hear it. She needs to be more persistent, she thinks, since it's her last chance to make her daughter see how much she does * not * want to do this.

The blind date Betty had set her up on is tonight and Alice has no intention of going. She hadn't even known she's registered on some dating site until the blonde had come to her last week and told her bluntly that she'll be going out next Friday. She'd been protesting ever since, without much success. She knows Betty and Polly, who's probably in on this, too, only want the best for her and that she won't end up alone but even if she hasn't been dating in a while now, she also hadn't needed her daughters to set her up before that either. And a blind date is just not her thing.

"Come on, mom" Betty pleads one last time. She's tired of this conversation, too, but she's not prepared to give in and cancel on her mother's behalf. "It's * one * date. You don't have to see him again if it turns out bad. Hell, you don't even have to stay if you don't like him, you just ring my phone once and I'll call you back with a made up emergency"

"Yes, because he's definitively never watched a movie before" Alice turns away from cooking dinner, leveling a glare at her daughter. She loves both girls to pieces, but she'd love it even more when they would start minding their own business instead of meddling in hers. "What does your sister say about all this?"

"Polly's set up the dating account, I'm just the one managing the potential candidates" And that is what effectively kills her last way out off this. If one of her daughter's hadn't been good with her dating right now, or even someone she doesn't even know, Alice wouldn't have gone. But both girls ganging up on her, her only way to not go would be to act like a bitch and risk Betty moving into Polly's for a week. It had happened before.

"Alright, where do I meet him?" She's incredibly not happy about it, but she won't let her children down either. She spends the rest of dinner preparations and the following dinner being told what to wear and how to recognize her date and what ever else she needs, but doesn't want to know for tomorrow.

So it's Friday evening when her daughter shoos her out of the house, after having spend hours helping her pick out her dress and make up. Alice thinks it's way too much and blind dates are, for the most people, the * only * date those two people will ever have with each other. But Betty seems happy and Polly's been by earlier and she seemed happy, too, and so Alice checks her purse again for everything she'd need and leaves with just enough room to get to the restaurant on time.

Alice walks through the door of the fancy restaurant, takes one look around and promptly steps back outside. This is ridiculous. She's neither the type for fancy restaurants, nor blind dates and no matter how happy it makes both her children, she's not going. She feels like a bitch for just not showing up, * she * wouldn't want to be stood up, but she can't do this. This is just too weird and so she takes off the white rose pin Betty had said she needs to wear for her date to recognize her and crosses the street.

She won't be lying to her children and tell them some story about a date that didn't work out; she'll be telling them she didn't go, but she needs a few minutes to herself to prepare herself for the onslaught of questions and looks he'll receive the moment she comes back home just half an hour after having left. The bar across the street looks exactly like a place to do this, and so she enters it without hesitation this time and looks for a seat.

She doesn't plan on staying long, so the bar's the best place and, scanning the room, probably also the only one. The bar is packed with all different kinds of people, getting drunk and minding their own business. She finds two empty bar stools and claims one for herself before ordering a glass of whiskey. She's not planning on drinking more than that, but as long as she's here, she'll as well take advantage of the alcohol provided.

She's being left alone for exactly ten minutes before some guy walks up to her, leaning into her personal space. She's about to tell him off, show him to his place, but the words die on her lips when she looks into the handsome face in front of her. And then she feels like a complete idiot, because the only thing the guy wants from her is to know if the seat beside hers is taken and when she shakes her head no, he sits down, orders and goes on ignoring her completely.

It irks her greatly, even though she doesn't really want to be hit on by anyone. If that would have been the case, she'd shown up at the blind date she still feels guilty over for not showing up. She ignores him, too, only stealing inconspicuous glances in his direction when he's one hundred percent not noticing it. He's hot, she can't deny that, just like she can't deny that she would have not stood up * him * anywhere. But she's not here for that, by the looks of it, he isn't either and anyway, Alice is almost on her way home, drink almost gone.

She absently notices the guy next to her leave, his drinks still on the counter so he's probably be back, and she takes a last sip of her whiskey. Gathering her purse and coat, going over the conversation with her daughter in her head she's about to leave when a hand settles over hers and her personal space is invaded and she instinctively knows it's not the guy from before. And she's not in the mood for this.

She tells him so, falls on deaf ears completely and before she knows it, there is another glass of whiskey in front of her and the stranger is occupying the stool that had been just vacated. She's uncomfortable with him being so close and she does nothing to hide it at all, but he doesn't seem to notice. Maybe he's too drunk, maybe he just doesn't care, but Alice wants nothing more than to leave but every path she could take is blocked by hands and a body leaning into her to be able to talk over the music.

And then there are arms slinging around her waist from behind and a kiss dropped to her cheek and she relaxes instantly, because even though it sounds impossible, she just * knows * who it is and she feels safe in the knowledge that he won't take advantage of the situation.

"Sorry I'm late, baby" She hears over the music and has to bite her cheek not to laugh at the expression of the stranger in front of her. She's tried the 'boyfriend' card but it had been ignored just as every other attempt she'd tried at ditching him.

"That's okay" She makes a show out off lacing her fingers through the hand resting on her hip and she turns her head to look at the man whose name she doesn't even know. "I've been in good company" She sends a small, fake, smile across and makes to get up. The hand on her waist, the one intertwined with hers slides up and rests on her shoulder and he pulls her into his side lightly. Then he orders two more drinks and leads her over to a booth that had just been left empty. She slides in, he follows without thinking about it and when they are settled in, she turns to him and thanks him.

"It's okay" He says with a loop sided smile and Alice feels pathetic for falling for it. They don't know each other, he could be * anyone * and the only thing she's sure of is that she'd like to get to know him better. She's not one for outer appearances, she's not shallow, but he's hot and it's a big plus, too. "I could see how uncomfortable that was for you"

"You don't even know me" She hopes she doesn't sound ungrateful, because she's really not, but she doesn't get it. They had ignored each other the whole time they'd been sitting next to each other and suddenly he's rescuing her from unwanted attention.

His answer is a shrug of his shoulders. He can't describe what had possessed him to help her out like that. She's incredibly attractive, and obviously single, and more than just a bit uncomfortable with the man hitting on her. All that's true, but is it really an explanation that doesn't sound creepy or like * he's * hitting on her now? "Instead, he holds out his hand for her to take. "I'm FP"

She raises an eyebrow but doesn't ask. Maybe he'll tell her his complete name, maybe he won't – it's their first (and probably only) meeting in a crowded bar at night, she's not about to tell him everything about her, too. She takes his hand and gives him her name still. "Alice, nice to meet you"

They spend the next two hours getting acquainted, moving from small talk to more real conversation without consciously realizing it and before either of them knows what's happening, he's walking her to her car, arm wrapped around her shoulders again and she's leaning into his side. They part ways with a set up dinner date for next Friday and exchanged phone numbers.

Betty and Polly know she hasn't been on her date and though they have not really been thrilled about it, they had accepted the fact that it's her life and stopped needling her about it. Upon Alice's insistence, they had even deactivated the online dating account. They don't know Alice doesn't need it because she's managed to score a date without their help.

Alice had been texting and talking with FP over the phone for the last five days, but she has not told either of her daughters about the man. She likes him, can actually see something with him working out, but she still needs to think about her children first – no matter how old they might be. She'll wait til after their first real date before saying anything.

Alice had bribed Hermione with details about her impromptu 'date' with FP last week and so the official story is the two women had spend the night together when Alice didn't go to her date. She'll tell the truth when and if she knows she'll be introducing FP to her children. To both of their knowledge Alice plans for this Friday involve trash TV and a bottle of wine with Hermione, while their three daughters have a sleepover at Polly's.

Her date runs smoothly and she doesn't think she's ever been so comfortable with anyone on a first date, or really any date, since Hal and her High School days. They talk about their children (he has a son and a daughter, the latter of which stayed in Toledo with his ex-wife), about their childhood, their interests and likes and she feels as if she knows him for years already. She kisses him when the night is over and when he leaves her at her front door without trying anything she isn't initiating, she's sure she's in love already.

She pushes introducing him to her children for weeks, not because she doesn't want to, but because she's afraid of what they'll think. FP is so completely different from the men she used to date; from their father. But then she finally can't do it anymore and she invites Polly over for dinner on Saturday, two months after she'd first met him. She's this close to saying I love you, feels he's on the same page, and it's the right time for all of them to meet. He'll bring his son, who they realized attends classes with her younger daughter and with any luck, this dinner turns out great. Alice can see a future with FP, now all that she needs is for their families to get along.

She's nervous when Saturday finally arrives and she's pacing the front hall until the doorbell rings. She opens the door after taking a deep breath and all her worries leave her when she looks at him. She greets his son, who is polite and nice but alternates his eyes between the two adults inquiringly. FP ignores him, kisses her in greeting and sends the boy into the living room where Alice said her daughters are.

To both their surprise all three children step into the hall again, alternating the same looks the boy had earlier, until Betty finally speaks. "I thought you didn't go!?"

"Yes dad, explain" The boy holds the same accusatory tone to his voice as Betty had. And neither of the adults know what's going on.

"The date" Polly clarifies when she realizes that maybe her mother and her boyfriend really have no idea what they are talking about. "We've set you up on that blind date two months ago"

And suddenly Alice has a guilty conscience, fears he'll be mad at her for standing him up back then but all he does is look equally as guilty. He might have shown up at the bar after her, but the doesn't mean he's been waiting across the street for someone who hadn't shown. He hadn't even sat foot in the restaurant before determining the idea as stupid and she whole situation as ridiculous and then he'd had the same idea Alice had, because his son would have given him hell for arriving back home that early.

In the end they all sit down to dinner to talk and discuss this new development and when the evening is over they can even all laugh about how all this turned out. Thirty years of marriage later, it's still the favorite story at family dinners.


	11. When Darkness Fell For Light-Choni (1o1)

_This is the result of a Riverdale writers group I had been part of. This week's theme had been Vampires!_

* * *

 **Pairing: Cheryl Blossom/Toni Topaz**

 **Summary: Vampire Toni falls for a mortal Cheryl**

* * *

 **When Darkness Fell For Light**

 _World_

 _A Riverdale where The Serpents are a clan with strict rules about revealing themselves and especially Turning people_

* * *

She's drawn to her the very first time she sees her across the crowded dance floor of the Whyte Wyrm. She's red headed, fair skinned, young, beautiful – and mortal. Even if Toni didn't know without a doubt the girl doesn't belong to them she can still smell the heavy scent of sweat glistening on pale skin and the sweet flow of blood inside her veins.

She's dangerous in the same way as she's everything Toni is attracted to. The beating heart, the pumping blood, the breaths of air – it's all Toni wants but knows she can't have. She's come to terms with being undead centuries ago, but sometimes it's hard finding the one you think you could be with for the rest of your life and know that it's just not possible. She wouldn't do this to anyone she cares about. She wouldn't put them through the torture that is changing on purpose.

It had been different for her, she never asked to become a Vampire. She remembers leaving her home in a fit of rage against her parents for arranging her marriage and the next thing she knew had been waking up in the forest. Alone, in the dark, she'd been hurting all over – a downside of Turning she'd later learn. She had spend hours lying on the dirty ground, not able to get up or even move, until she'd finally stopped aching with every breath she took; and that's when she had realized she didn't need the breaths she had been so eagerly sucking into her lungs for the last hours. Of course, the Undead had already been a story elders taught their children and grandchildren, but how possible had it really been that they were, actually * real * and not just some figment of imagination someone had come up with centuries before she had even been born.

She had put it down to fear, of * course * she had needed to breath and had pulled herself off the ground with much effort. She had made her way home again, but with no idea where she actually was, it had taken another hour until she had found a spot she knew how to navigate to her house from. The strong urge to gulp down on hot, fresh, flowing blood hit her the moment she'd stepped into her village and, not knowing what is going on with her, she'd run home as fast as she could. The rising sun had burned her hand when she'd reached out for the door handle and it had been the last straw. She had turned and ran.

She'd run and run for hours, only absently noticing the speed in which she was moving, until the strong urge to feed had come over her again and she'd been too weak to move. She'd found a dark spot where the sun won't ever reach and curled up as small as she could. There's no way vampires were real, but it had been the only logical explanation she had been able to come up with. And she would not drink on humans – it had grossed her out so much, she still sometimes feels it today.

Elizabeth had found her weak and starving three days later and had brought the girl to her parents. FP and Alice had taken her and her sister, along with another pair of siblings in, when they had found themselves in a similar situation. And so Toni had learned about what it takes to be a Vampire and about the Rules and Regulations and how to survive and, most importantly, how it feels to have a real and loving family. She hasn't seen her own parents since that day she'd stormed out and as time went on, she stopped missing them completely. To this day, she has no idea who turned her and why. Whoever did had broken one of their laws, and she would have been well within her right to avenge herself for that, but they'd never found them. And it's not like there were that many laws to abide by:

Never reveal themselves

Never leave newly Turned on their own

Never leave someone you fed on without wiping their memory

But this had been her unwilling Turning, she didn't have a chance back then. Her only options had been accepting what she'd become or commit suicide by torching herself in the rising sunlight. But this girl, she would have to undergo Turning under the 5 rules and that's only of Toni even gets the okay to reveal herself and, in turn, their whole clan. So Toni relents to watching from afar, doesn't dare approaching the beautiful redhead for fear of actually falling for her and dragging her down into something she would never choose herself.

Staying away is harder than it might seem, especially with the girl showing up at their local hangout every weekend and the odd day in between, too. Toni had staked her claim over the unsuspecting mortal, only to protect her from ending up as food for her fellow clan members. Toni has no intention of actually feeding on her, she's way too afraid of getting too close. It's a connection she's never felt before and she hasn't even exchanged a single word with her object of desire. Toni knows those feelings only from tales of other Vampires, but she's certain this is what it feels like to meet your eternal mate.

It happens very rarely, that your mate turns out to be a mortal and she knows of exactly one couple that had beaten all odds and actually made it. All the other few had either been too chicken to act on it, or had failed in their Loyalty Test. She will be miserable for the rest of her Immortal existence, but it is still better than being responsible for the girl's death. Real death.

So Toni doesn't approach the girl, only looks at her from across the bar every Saturday night and it's four weeks later that she shared her first words with her. Toni's pouring drinks from behind the bar when the redhead comes up and orders and it's the only conversation they have whatsoever, but Toni falls for that sweet voice up close. The redhead winks at her and throws a flirty smile over her shoulder when she returns to her friends on the other side of the dance floor and Toni's done.

Gone are the thoughts of not risking it, of staying away. It's going to be a long process and before she will even consider asking for permission to reveal herself, she'll be spending time getting to know the Beauty that had captured her heart, but she's determined now, to find out if this is just a passing fling for the girl or if she'd be willing to spend their whole, immortal, life together. It is still a hard decision to make, but somehow Toni can feel that this will be it, that the two of them will make it. Now she just has to find out if there's even a chance.

She walks up to the girl leaning against the bar a week later, casually invading her space, trying desperately to ignore the scent of pumping blood taunting her nostrils. She's never one to be shy, flirting had always been her best way of getting people she wanted to feed on to trust her, and so she won't start tonight. With a confident smirk and an attitude as if she owned the place (which * is * partly true even), she introduces herself.

"I'm Toni" She's so close to her ear that the sound of rushing blood is almost overwhelming and she has to close her eyes for a moment. She will not be feeding on the girl, no matter how enticing it sounds right this minute.

"I was wondering when you'd get the courage to come over and talk to me" The redhead is laughing, and the sound is so angelic that Toni hopes she's not actually melting into the floor. "My name's Cheryl"

"What do you mean, Cheryl?" She tries the name and she loves how it sounds when it falls from her lips. By the way the dark red painted ones part slightly in front of her, she's not the only one who likes it.

"Please, you think I haven't noticed you staring at me from across the room the last five weeks?" It's not an accusation Toni notices, just plainly a fact and she has a feeling that Cheryl didn't mind the staring. But, as far as she's concerned, Toni is nothing more than a normal girl like her, that likes to spend her weekends in crowded bars. She doesn't know that Toni's hanging out in their own spot, owned by none other than her father, and that the night is the only time Cheryl can ever really see her. Toni might not be sleeping in a coffin and turn into a bat whenever she desires, but she's still being burned to a crisp if she spends any larger amount of time in the sun.

"So why didn't you come and talk to me?" A raised eyebrow and a flirty smile and Toni thinks she has Cheryl wrapped around her finger. Too bad she doesn't really know anything about the redhead yet.

"You were the one staring" Cheryl shrugs one of her shoulders and then motions towards her empty glass on the counter. "Are you going to buy me another drink or what?"

It's the start of a beautiful friendship.

She sneaks around, meeting Cheryl only at night for the next two months, getting to know the girl and falling ever harder. She comes up with a new excuse every time, about why they can't see each other during the day, but the one time she doesn't have to lie is when Cheryl asks to meet her parents and Toni tells her they are dead. She omits the fact that they had been dead for over a few centuries and that she technically has people looking out for her she calls parents, but it's still not a lie – not like almost everything else she tells Cheryl. Her name, her age, her likes and dislikes; all those are true more or less. But she can't tell her what she's actually doing during the day or where she comes from, where she lives now, and she hates it with all her being.

She wants Cheryl, now and forever, but she has to wait until the redhead makes the first step in that direction. Toni would have been ready to say 'I love you' the moment they first talked, but Cheryl needs to be the one saying it first. She needs to say it because she wants to and because she feels it and not because Toni blindsided her and she feels pressured into returning the feeling. And only then is Toni prepared to go to her father and ask for permission to let Cheryl in on their secret. It's the best she can do in order to find out Cheryl's motives apart from secretly dating the girl for the next fifty years. And the latter's a pretty stupid idea.

And there's no going back after Toni reveals herself to be a Vampire. Either Cheryl will accept it and make it through the Loyalty Test and the process of Turning, or her memory will be wiped clean and Toni is not permitted to ever see her again. And then it's five months after had first exchanged words and Toni knows she has to either end this for good or finally come clean to her parents.

FP is not thrilled when Toni tells him what she has been up to the last months, but who is he to deny her the chance to be with her mate, the chance of happiness. She's fully prepared to hold his own past against him should it come to it, but he seems to be aware of the hypocrisy, too, and so he doesn't argue. He does, however, makes her think it over for a few more days, lets her promise to consider every little detail and not rush into things. Just because it had worked out for him, doesn't mean he hasn't seen couples crash and burn in attempting the same thing.

And she does promise him all this, takes a whole week to contemplate telling Cheryl the truth, but in the end she comes to the same conclusion she had already arrived at. She can trust Cheryl, and as much as it would crush her, she will not pressure Cheryl into being Turned. After she knows the whole story, it will be up to her to decide if she wants to join them or not – and if she chooses to say no, then Toni will just have to survive that.

Toni has chosen a quiet spot outside near the woods, a place Cheryl had told her once she likes to go and think; to be alone. It's still near enough to the city to not be completely alone and she hopes it'll give Cheryl the security that Toni didn't lure her out there to harm her. The pick nick blanket is spread out and the candles set and the sun is just sinking down on the horizon when Cheryl arrives. Toni can see her even without the fading light and she's pretty sure she hasn't seen anything more beautiful her whole life.

She gets up from her spot on the ground when the redhead approaches and with a smile envelopes her in her arms. She's gotten used to the overwhelming urge to sink her teeth into the tantalizing flesh, has learned to ignore it, but it's still there. Every time. Then Toni does something she hasn't dared to in five months and leans forward to capture Cheryl's lips with her own, in a short but sweet kiss. It's the hardest thing she's ever done, not getting carried away by the smells and warmth all around her, but she needed to do this. It might not be fair to both of them, but should all this come to an end tonight, she wants this memory.

Cheryl is suspicious now. She's tried to initiate a kiss once or twice, but it had always been Toni to find some excuse or the other to stop it. This looks like a good-bye and Cheryl is not stupid. "You could have dumped me without the fancy date, you know"

"What?"

"You're breaking up with me, and had I known that, I would not have spent the last of my money on new clothes to impress you" She folds her arms across her chest and looks Toni up and down accusingly. She's not new to heartbreak, she'll get over it, but this time she had actually been in love. She would have done anything for Toni.

"First of all, you don't need to impress me, I love you without all that" She puts all the emotion she can behind that sentence and accompanies it with a look full of adoration. She needs to make this one thing crystal clear, before uttering the dreaded words nobody ever wants to hear. "But yes, we do need to talk. Or better yet" She adds, when she sees Cheryl trying to cut her off. She knows what the words would be. "I have to tell you something. And it's very important, that you listen to me and that you won't freak out"

"Okay, now you're scaring me" Cheryl takes a seat against the big tree Toni has spread the blanket under and waits for the other girl to join her.

"Good" Scared Cheryl might actually try to rationalize what she'll be hearing before jumping into action. "I am a Vampire" She doesn't know how to do it other than ripping the band aid right off.

"Yea, sure" And judging by Cheryl's reaction it might have been the wrong approach. So Toni takes a deep breath, gathers her feelings and emotions and pulls her lips back into a small, smile-like gesture, revealing a sharp pair of fangs. Cheryl flinches backwards involuntarily. "Woah. Those are actually real?"

"Yes" Toni doesn't know why this revelation doesn't have the girl more scared. Vampires might be trending right now, but still only in fiction. Sitting next to a live, undead, one would definitively scare * her *. "You can't tell anyone about this, or I'll be in trouble"

"So there are more of you? Right here in Riverdale?" This conversation reads like she just confessed to being a vegetarian or a dog lover. Shouldn't this be more complicated?

"Those people at the club, the biker gang I belong to? Not a biker gang. That's my clan. It's our disguise in front of mortals. The people who took me in after I was Turned, they own the Wyrm" And then Cheryl asks how Toni became a Vampire and everything about the past Toni couldn't share before and she's so glad to finally be able to, that the important question is pushed to the side for a while.

Toni fills her in on everything Vampire, on the things they can and cannot do. On the things she's offended by seeing it portrayed on TV or in movies. She tells her everything about where and how she'd grown up before becoming a Vampire and how life went on for her after being Turned. They spend hours simply talking, and when the sun starts peaking over the horizon, Toni finally asks.

"Why are you not scared of me?"

"Because I love you" It is that simple. She's fallen in love with Toni weeks ago and the fact that she's suddenly turned out to be a Vampire does not change that. There have been so many opportunities for Toni to hurt her, but she's alive and well, so there is absolutely no reason to be afraid of her now, just because she * knows *.

There is exactly one person Toni knows who has ever gone through a voluntary Turning and so she and Cheryl meet Alice in the back office of the Whyte Wyrm two days before the redhead has to make a decision. Technically, Cheryl already did, but Toni had insisted on her taking the time that's been given her and talk to someone who can tell her what she'll have to go through.

Toni had told her the 5 Rules of voluntary Turning and Cheryl had taken them in and considered them and had made her decision pretty quickly. The 5 Rules are pretty easy in her opinion.

You have to be Turned by your mate

You cannot leave your mate

You have to pass the Loyalty Test

You die if you don't pass

You have to be fully awake during your Turning

She has to admit, rule number four might sound a little scary, but Cheryl has no intention of not passing number three. And that's what they are here for right now, Toni has no idea what the Test actually entails or how the Turning process really works. She had been Turned against her will, has been unconscious for the most part of it and she has no idea * how * to turn someone at all. But Alice had chosen to be one of them a lot of centuries ago, which means she has gone through what Cheryl has still in front of her.

"Don't worry about the Loyalty Test, that's a pretty easy thing" Alice starts without waiting for a question. She slides on top of the desk, crosses her legs and leans back onto one hand. Her eyes stay on the two girls huddled together on the little couch. Toni's like a daughter to her, just like her other four 'children', and she's glad to see she's found someone who makes her happy. "You will just have to prove that you haven't told anyone about us and that you will continue to do so" And when the girls ask why so many people don't pass that test, Alice tells them that there are very few people in the world who would chose love over the possibility of being rich and famous for selling anything abnormal to the press and media.

"What does it mean, being awake during the Turning?" Toni asks next, because she knows she's passed out during hers and she can't think of any way to prevent that.

"You were bitten in the neck, it will make you pass out, that's why we feed like that" Toni's hand moves up to her non-existing fang marks and she caresses the spot softly. She knows where it had been even after all these years. "Anywhere else and you feel the venom curse through your body while you Turn. I'd recommend the wrist" She exchanges a short look between them, to make sure they still want to do this. "It's the fastest way for the Venom to spread. Takes about two hours off the whole process"

"And what exactly * is * the process?" Cheryl is not backing out, but she realizes now, that maybe she should have gotten this information before making her mind up.

That's the moment Alice had been dreading, because she's afraid that when Cheryl finds out exactly what Turning involves, she'll freak and won't want to do it anymore. But she's promised to help and answer any questions and so she'll do that. "Toni will have to almost drain you off all the blood in your body and leave just enough to spread the Venom through your veins." Another pause in which she lets them absorb the information. She's not finished yet and she won't sugarcoat anything. "You will be in a state of incredible pain, your body will feel like it's on fire and you'll probably wish you could have just died instead. After about half a day, the feeling will gradually slow down and you will only experience the normal side effects of Turning"

"You did all this?" Cheryl asks. She's trembling, but she's determined to do this. She wants to be with Toni and nothing will keep her from that.

"Yes" Alice nods her head. She gives them a small smile in encouragement. This had not been to scare the girl away, but only to make them aware of everything they will commit to. It's the only way to make this a fair choice.

"Did you ever regret it?" Toni doesn't think so, she's been observing Alice and FP for the better part of three centuries now and they seem so in love as ever.

"I would not trade any minute of the pain from that day if it meant giving up FP for it."

It hurts, so much so Cheryl wants it to end right now, one way or the other. She's proven her Loyalty ten times over and they had been completely satisfied with her and Cheryl had been surprised at how easy this really was. And then Toni had bitten her, the wrist like Alice suggested, and when the pain started Cheryl had been torn between her love for Toni and the knowledge that she had the choice to * not * do this.

But Toni is right beside her the entire time, just like FP and Alice, along with Toni's siblings and it is all Cheryl needs to hang on and make it through the pain and the burning. When the aching finally dies down about twenty four hours after she's been bitten, Toni takes her out, shows her how to feed and kisses her like she's wanted to for the last six months but hadn't dared to. And, even without the beating heart and the warm, rich blood flowing through her veins, Cheryl is still as intoxicating to Toni as she has been before.


	12. Just me and You - Falice (1 of 3)

I have promised that **TheXtremeFangirl** for a very long time now, and I am sorry for only coming around to it now. Truth is, that I wrote and finished this in Three Parts weeks ago, when I have been sick in bed with the flue and have been feeling like shit. I decided to not upload it then, because I wanted to go over it when I was more clearheaded and maybe edit it some. And boy am I glad I did not upload that. Simply put: It was complete and utter crap!

I've been trying to rework it ever since, but I can't seem to actually make it better, so I decided to delete everything and start anew.

I was going to upload one chapter each when I am done, but since I have kept you waiting for so long already, I thought I will give would chapter 1 already to make up for the wait and to show you that I have not forgotten :)

I still hope this is what you have been hoping for :) Enjoy

Title is borrowed from a verse from Your Love by Little Mix

* * *

 **Rating: Mature**

 **Pairing: Alice Cooper/FP Jones**

 **Summary: Alice and FP can't fight their attraction for each other**

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL WARNING: PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS CHAPTER AS WELL AS THE FOLLOWING 2 ARE RATED**

 **M**

 **FOR CONTENT; LANGUAGE; AND SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS**

* * *

 **(Let's pack up and run away) just me and you - The Beginning**

Happily married, that's what she would have described herself as, not long ago. Last week she would have sworn there could be nothing that will ever have her question her feelings for her husband or her marriage on the whole. But she hadn't met FP Jones back then.

Alice Cooper and her husband own the biggest newspaper in town, have been for the last ten years. They had started off in a small room, equipped with an old computer Hal had bought during college and a printer that cost almost more in toner cartridges than they made money in selling issues. The first year had been hard, and they more than once had the talk about giving up their own business and applying as journalists at the Riverdale News, but the Register had been their dream ever since they bonded over their School Newspaper back in High School. And so they had pulled through, working harder than ever, and gradually they became a well established newspaper in Riverdale. Today, they have long since bought out Riverdale News and are the top selling Paper in Riverdale and close proximity. And now, finally, they have gotten the chance to expand into their own TV branch, all they needed was a place to set it up.

Hal had hired his old friend to add the new wing to their offices, and not only was Fred Andrews hired because of that friendship, but because Andrews' construction was the best around. He only employed the best of the best he could find and they had renovated the whole of The Register some five years ago and the work had just been exceptional. Fred and his men had been by a few times to get the lay of the land and to see what they will have to work with and construction had begun ten days ago.

Her husband had been in charge of meeting with Fred and the workers and being kept in the loop about problems or the general progress, because neither of them really know anything about construction, but Alice doesn't care on top of it. To her, it doesn't matter how they get the place to look like it is supposed to in the end, as long as they do and what does she care if they have to pay ten or fifty men when the Register makes enough money to pay a hundred, every hour for at least a year straight.

So she only meets FP Jones three days after construction has begun and only because her husband is out off town and she needs to attend his daily meeting with the foreman. She's more than a little surprised when she sees him, because she knows almost everyone in town and she * does * know everyone working for Fred, but she's never seen him before. But she hides her surprise at seeing him just as well as the shiver that runs through her when she takes his hand. She hasn't felt this since High School, when she started dating her now-husband and it scares her just that little bit, that she'd have to say the feeling is even stronger now. She pushes it down as far as possible; she doesn't know the man and she is definitively * not * attracted to another man. Neither physically nor emotionally.

It doesn't take long for her to admit to herself that that's a lie and actually starts accompanying Hal to his meetings just to get a glimpse at the man she will only ever look at and never start something with. But she still tries to at least ignore it when she's with her husband, which is proven even harder when she's sure he finds her attractive, too, given his constant flirting and the heavy looks when Hal is not in the immediate vicinity.

She makes it a whole four weeks after that initial meeting, is able to be polite but not too interested in him when at the work site next to her husband. She ignores the smirks and looks, because she knows it will not amount to anything anyway, that this was just a little attraction between two married people that have no intention of acting on it. Where's the harm in a little flirting when it will never move any further than that? And then she had learned that * he * is not married, never has been and that he's initially just been in town for a couple weeks, but when he'd gotten a temporary job at Andrews' construction to pay for his further travels he'd been offered the Register contract and that had placed him in town for months instead of weeks. He will be leaving when construction is finished, where to, she has no idea, isn't sure if he actually knows that.

And that's the deciding factor in her attempt to justify what she is about to do. She loves her husband, she really does and she has no intention of leaving him, no matter for whom, but there's just this strange emotion she feels whenever FP Jones is around. It's like she's being pulled, almost physically, across the room, towards him by some invisible magic. She really doesn't want to hurt her husband, but this is something she feels almost unable to stop, as if it is completely out of her hands. And, since he's been gone in a couple of months anyway, this has to be neither awkward nor a recurring thing. And most importantly, Hal would never have to find out.

She tries to tell herself that, if FP had been a regular resident of Riverdale, with a house of his own and a steady job around the corner, she would never have entertained the thought at all. She has no intention of starting an affair with anyone, no matter how handsome and hot he might be and she's sure that there's a way bigger chance for it to develop into exactly that, or come to light, when they would cross paths from time to time over the next decades. A one time thing, with him gone in a few months, is way easier to hide. They would just have sex, they would get over their growing attraction towards each other and then they would never speak about it again. It was that simple. The fact, that a one night stand would probably not really make any difference to a full fledged affair in her husband's eyes, is something she's pushed as far back in her mind as possible.

With the plan formed in her mind, now the only thing she has to do is wait for the right opportunity. She will not be doing this somewhere on the construction site – an improvised office, an already half finished room or, god forbid, any of the portable toilets – with her husband around to, with any luck, walk in on them. But she also will not be conning the address of his motel out off either him or Fred – that's way too risky – and show up at his doorstep unexpectedly one night. She couldn't live with the embarrassment if all this was just a fun game for him and he had never actually had any intention of sleeping with her. She really, * really * doesn't believe that, he's way too interested in her, checking out her ass way too often for that not want to lead somewhere. But she's still cautious. What if he really didn't want her and would be telling her husband she's practically thrown herself at him? No, that wouldn't do. Throwing herself at him like that would defeat the purpose. Both of them really – her husband not finding out and getting to sleep with him.

But still, she had a plan, and that plan involved accompanying Hal to the construction site every chance she got. Every single one. There were the daily meetings with FP to go over the general process, there was one weekly meeting with all of the workers to make sure they were still on track and everything was running smoothly and then, there were the occasional 'surprise' visits to see the progress for themselves and to check on the workers. And, as much as she is not interested in the actual work one tiny bit, Alice goes with him every time, just to send a flirty smile at FP or to catch one of his. She dares him without words to be more forward or to stop. She needs to know if this is leading somewhere, and she makes it clear, that if it does she's willing to give it a try, but if it's not, she's not his personal fun project. And he understands perfectly what she's asking of him and two days after that silent conversation across the table with the blueprints, he comes to stand beside her. He wants to show her something, he claims, points to two or three random spots on the blueprint improvises two or three sentences, while Hal is occupied talking with another worker about something or other. When he leaves her alone again, he purposefully walks behind her, hand moving from one hip to the other with his movement, briefly grazing her backside in between. The look he sends with the touch is unmistakable.

She shivers at the thought, excuses herself just after, because as much as she has been the one thinking up the plan and setting it in motion, actually having the confirmation she has been waiting for is just too much for her to handle right now. It means she will be cheating on her husband, and it's the first time that she realizes, that yes, a one time thing is as bad as an ongoing affair. But her mind is set, and she hates herself for it, there is just nothing she can do about it anymore. She knows Hal will be out of town for something she didn't care enough to remember come next week and then, it would be her obligation again to check the progress on the construction site; to have one-on-one meetings with FP Jones in the small trailer they'd set up as an improvised office. And she knows that she will not be able to stop the inevitable then. The more she thinks about it, the less scared and the more excited she gets though.

Hal leaves early on Monday morning and Alice has taken it as her day off, to be able to see him off. At least that's the official version she tells him. Because she can't tell him she's opted to stay home today so she will not be tempted to walk across the lot and drag FP off into the closest free space just hours after her husband left. She thinks that might be pushing it a little. But monday ends, and as much as she probably should, she's not dreading tuesday. So what if she had that daily meeting with FP she'd skipped out off yesterday? So what if she would end up screwing him today? Wasn't that what she had been wanting to do for weeks already?!

And then her meeting goes off without a hitch and he's the perfect gentleman and she's driving herself crazy the remainder of the day and the whole following night. Did she really misinterpret his signals so much? He might want her, yes there's no questioning that, but maybe * he's * decent enough not to want to do this when she's married to someone else – something that should have been expected of her honestly. She's still deep in thought and maybe just that little bit pissed at him, when she arrives at work on wednesday. She catches his eye from across the parking lot – she's parking by the front door on her designated parking space; he's parked his truck in the very back corner to be nearer the half empty lot their new building wing will be – and he smiles and sends her a short wave. And then the smug bastard dares giving her a once over from afar, smirks at her and turns around to leave.

She enters the building, walks up to her office, dumps her things unceremoniously on her desk and promtly leaves again. Who the hell does he think he is; she's mad because he can't just do that. He can't just make her question her whole marriage and when she finally accepts it fully, he does * this *. She takes the long way across the parking lot, this way she won't have to walk through the whole site to get to the office. The fewer people know she's here right now, the better.

She enters without knocking or waiting for a reply. She'd taken a look around and hadn't seen him, so he can only be in there. He's in conversation with one of the workers and it looks unimportant enough, that she feels the permission to interrupt like this. And really, even if she didn't she wouldn't care.

"We have something to discuss." She doesn't even acknowledges the other man in the room. She tries to not sound as pissed as she feels, because she can simply put this off as a business meeting that way. He's not smiling at her now, so he probably knows she's pissed though. "It's important" She adds, with a quick look at the other man, when he won't leave. Then FP dismisses him with a nod of his head and Alice turns to watch him walk out the trailer. She hasn't heard him move behind her, but the moment the door is shut, she turns around again, set on asking what the hell his problem was.

He is right behind her and he kisses her before she can even utter a single word let alone decide on what this word would have been anyway. For a moment she's completely lost, kissing him back with just as much passion and want. And god, it feels incredible. She'd swear she's never felt like this while kissing someone. Ever. Not even her husband. That's when she pulls back. The thought of her husband had brought back the reason they are here in the first place. She doesn't get very far, though, because somehow, they had changed position during their kiss and her legs are pressed up against the desk. He's standing way too close and when he finally realizes that he maybe should not have done this, he steps half a step back. He watches her.

"What are you doing?" She asks him, calmer than she had originally planned, but she's still hast found her breath again completely. She scoots back onto the edge of the desk, as if she wanted something else from him than an answer. The look in her eyes however tells him differently.

"I thought you wanted this" It's neither a statement nor a question. It's something in between and it just highlights how unsure he is of what had just happened.

"I thought * you * wanted this" She shoots back, managing to sound at least a little more like she had wanted to. "At least until yesterday" She adds with an icy look. This was not going like it should. They should be all over each other with her husband gone, not fight over things that hadn't even happened yet.

And then he actually laughs. A short, hard sound and at her narrowed eyes he hurries to explain. "You are the one being married here. You are the one that has to be sure that this is worth it" He tries reaching for her hand and she lets him. She lightly laces their fingers together and tugs him that half step towards her he'd taken earlier.

"What the hell did you think the last weeks had been about?" This time, she laughs, too. It's soft in comparison to him and she's not meeting his eyes. Rather she's watching herself play with their entangled fingers.

"I needed you to make the first step" She can feel his gaze on her face and it's just too much. She has to look at him, can't fight the urge any longer. What she sees is something she's not prepared to name or even think about. This is a one time thing, no other feeling than lust is supposed to have a place here.

"Here I am" Their eyes lock for a moment that feels like it's an eternity and she feels that same thing she's seen in his eyes tug at her insides, but she pushes it down. Even if she wanted to, this will not ever be repeated again.

"Are you sure?" He hasn't stopped looking into her eyes yet and she doesn't mind. The intimacy it creates makes her want him even more. She pulls him even closer with their joined hands and he steps in between her legs, pushing the short skirt up her thighs at the movement.

"Could you just kiss me again" She tries to sound annoyed, doesn't pull it off and he swallows the new wave of laughter coming from her lips with his own.

This time she buries her hands in his hair immediately and deepens the kiss without hesitation. He steps as close as he can, knees hitting the hard wooden desk she's sitting on. He wants nothing more than to take his time, to undress her completely and to worship every single inch of her body. If this was only going to be a one off, than he wants something to remember her by when he leaves. And, surprisingly, she wants the same thing, but she's also acutely aware of the door that's not locked and the fact that they should keep this as emotionless as possible. She doesn't plan on leaving her husband. Not even for him.

So he keeps kissing her while sliding his hands up the inside of her thighs, pushing the skirt further up. She clumsily shifts on the smooth surface to assist him in sliding it out from under her legs and up over her hips. There is no time for teasing and slow, but he can't * not * trail his fingers over her damp underwear once. The moan she breathes into his mouth is everything he's dreamed of.

When his hands reach for her waist on either side, she thinks he's going to lift her shirt over he head after all ( and damn, she would have let him, no matter how not exposed she wants to be here, in this semi-public spot), but he just slides his arms around her. She catches on quickly, locking her legs around his hips and then he's lifting her off the table as if she weighted nothing. She holds herself to him with her legs around his hips and her arms around his neck, leaving a trail of little bite marks on the side of it, while he's riding her of her panties. She kicks them from her legs when she's sitting back on the desk.

Then she reaches for his belt, undoing it with a casual movement and it's only a matter of seconds before his jeans and boxers join her underwear on the floor. Alice reaches for him, stroking his hard length just a few times, before guiding him into her. She bites his shoulder when he fills her completely, and he buries his face in her hair to keep from making any loud noises. She feels incredible around him and he has to take a second to get his bearing again and when he finally starts moving within her, she has to bite his shoulder even harder because this is so much better than she could have ever imagined.

She doesn't have to tell him what she likes, what she wants; he seems to know when to pick up the pace, when to slow down, when to let her take the lead. Like they had done this many times over already. That thought, the fact that they are so in sync with each other and what it inevitable meant, pushes her over the edge and she climaxes on a muffled cry just before her orgasm brings his own release.

They don't really talk while gathering their few shed articles of clothing. IT had been amazing, but it was done and life would go on like before they ever met. She had her husband and he would be leaving town in a couple of months anyway – and this was nothing to be repeated or ever spoken of.

* * *

 **ORIGINAL PROMT**

Hi! I was wondering if I might be able to prompt you for Safe Places Different Faces again? I had an idea that's kind of like Alice and Hal are the owners of some company and FP is like a construction worker adding a new wing to the building or something, and he and Alice started an affair a couple weeks after the project started and it's been a few months (getting close to the new add on being finished and therefore FP leaving) and he asks her to marry him and run off and whatnot. And even though I shouldn't, if you do decide to do this, can you make it M rated?


	13. Just me and you - Falice (2 of 3)

I am sorry for taking so long with this Chapter, but I did not have internet for a while due to some problem with the provider or some shit like that. But I am back online now, so stay tuned for the third and last chapter of this brilliant AU :)

* * *

 **Rating: Mature**

 **Pairing: Alice Cooper/ FP Jones**

 **Summary: Alice and FP can't fight their attraction for one each other**

* * *

 **ADDITIONAL WARNING: PLEASE BE AWARE THAT THIS CHAPTER AS WELL AS THE FOLLOWING ONE (1) IS RATED**

 **M**

 **FOR CONTENT;LANGUAGE AND SEXUAL ENCOUNTERS**

* * *

 **(Let's pack up and run away) Just me and you - The Middle**

A one time thing, that's exactly what it had been. For the next five hours. She had been completely unable to focus on the work in front of her (she'd later learn, that he had a hard time thinking about anything other than their encounter, too). Instead, her mind had a tendency to drift off into memory of his touch on her skin, his kiss on her lips. The way he felt when he was pressed up against her; inside her. She's been worked up enough to debate abandoning her work, turning around and doing it all over again, not thirty minutes after she'd left him in the makeshift office. And maybe, that had even scared her a little.

This one time should have been enough to get him out off her system, because all this is, is a stupid physical attraction that would and should never amount to anything else at all. She should not even have let herself be tempted to try it once, she knows that, but once is all she would allow herself. Her husband will be home soon and FP will be leaving town and none of this ever happened. She won't ever speak of it again, and she'll never think about him. By the way they had parted earlier, she's sure he's on the same page here.

But, if the way they had talked before had been any indication, then she's also sure that they are on the same page with something else, too. If she'd ever decide to do this again, he would not be saying no, either. He's willing to make this a one time thing for her sake, but the way he'd looked at her just after they'd kissed the first time, it's not what he wants. And then she'd admit to herself for the first time, that there would be no question about continuing this, if she weren't married. Damn, she's even considering it while * being * married.

She'd gone through her emails, sorted out the important ones from the unimportant ones, deleting the spam and the advertisements. She'd answered the important ones right away after, mind only half on the task at hand, pushing back the others, setting a reminder in her phone to go through them later that day. Then she had checked her phone, but there had been no message from her husband yet and so she had opened up her recent documents and started on continuing the piece that was supposed to be featured in the next issue. None of this had really occupied her mind fully, and so, when the message from Hal finally arrived, saying he's done with his current meeting and has a few minutes to talk, she's been debating making up an excuse not to call him. The last thins she really wanted to do, had been speaking to her husband while thinking about another man – or what she had done with said other man earlier. She had picked up her phone and dialed his number anyway, because another thing she didn't need was her husband being suspicious of anything. And her not taking an opportunity to talk to him was just out of the ordinary for her.

She'd kept the conversation as short as possible however, just asking the most basic of questions about him and the business trip he's on, avoiding any talk at all about the ongoing construction. Luckily, their daily meeting with the foreman doesn't take place until some time in the afternoon normally, so she has no problems dodging any of Hal's question regarding the progress and FP Jones. That's not to say he's hasn't been on her mind constantly, even while she'd bid her husband goodbye and told him she loved him. It wasn't a lie, she did love him, but she just couldn't help but feel guilty, because that short conversation had brought one thought prominently to the forefront of her mind. She might not love FP, but could there really be no feelings whatsoever involved, when she can't hold a conversation with the man she's been married to for decades without thinking about the other man?

Hal had told her the talks were going smoothly and that he will probably be home a few days earlier than initially expected and the only feeling that information sparked in her had been sadness about having less days to be with FP. There had been no happiness about seeing her husband, but only the fact that their affair would be over sooner than she wanted it to. She had almost physically slapped herself out of these thoughts, because there * was * no affair. This was a one time thing and nothing more. They had both mutually, if silently, agreed to that and it did not matter if her husband came home now or in a year. Her and FP were done, had been from the moment she'd muffled her cry of pleasure against his shoulder to keep from alerting anyone else that she'd just had one of the best orgasms of her life.

And that is exactly the thought stuck in her head for the next four hours in which she'd been trying to do her actual work. She's constantly reliving their encounter, getting more and more unfocused by the minute. She hasn't been that turned on in a while and all it took was the memory of him. She didn't even need his physical touch to spark that fire deep inside her. It's ridiculous, she knows that, but she can't help it either. It's during a brief meeting with one of their employees, who actually asks her if she's feeling alright, that Alice finally notices she's been crossing and uncrossing her legs behind her desk over and over again, unconsciously trying to quench the pulsing sensation her thoughts of him had sent to her lower parts. It's then that she realizes she needs to take care of this as soon as possible. She'd assured the worried girl that she was fine, wrapped the meeting up in record time without seeming to rush it and leaves her office just half a minute after the girl does.

Her preferred destination had been the nearest restroom, this was nothing she couldn't handle on her own, and she was * not * going to sleep with him again. But it seemed like she * was * when her feet walked her right past the bathroom and towards the elevator. She had still been cursing her traitorous mind, when she'd taken out her cell phone and had sent a text to the number her husband had given her for emergencies yesterday before he'd left. It was supposed to be a publicly accessible cell for all the construction workers to use should something need immediate attention, but Alice knows, that it was mostly carried by FP. Still, she's careful in her wording and doesn't sign it with any name or initial. If he's the one reading the text, he'd know who sent it ans what it meant. If it wouldn't be him, then there was no fear of being found out.

The old storage room on the ground floor might not be the best place for what she's about to do, but at least the door locks. She'd had sex with him on a unstable desk in a makeshift office trailer where anyone could have walked in. So she figures the storage room a step up. She takes way too much care no to be seen since her destination lies in the back of the building where nobody ever hangs around anyway, but she won't take any risks here. This is already wrong enough, she doesn't need anyone finding out on top of it. Especially since this will be the last time they were going to do this anyway.

She enters the storage room, closes the door behind her and leans her back against the opposite wall. It's not much space, even empty as it is, but it's just enough for two people to relieve some serious sexual tension. It's not long before she hears noises outside the door and she holds her breath; if it's not him she doesn't want to have to explain what she's doing here to anyone. The door opens and closes quickly, and when the light switch is turned on, he's casually leaning against the door, a smug grin on his face. She hadn't dared turning it on before for fear someone else might be coming in here for whatever reason, but now she's glad to be able to see his handsome face. Damn, she'd missed him even when she was not supposed to.

She pushes off the wall the same moment he reaches behind him to turn the lock on the door and then she's kissing him like she's never kissed anyone before. Her hands grab fistfuls of his shirt, pulling it out of his jeans, while his hands are busy pulling her closer – one of them behind her back, the other in her blonde hair. He moves further down, pulling her into his body with his hand on her backside and she presses against him willingly. Her hands have finally reached underneath his shirt and she's mapping his chest and back with her fingers, committing his shape and form and feel to memory. If this was the last time they'd do this, she needs that. Needs something to remember him by.

She breaks from their kiss first, taking a few much needed breaths, while still trying to move further into his body, even though there's no way for her to get any closer than she already is. He's pressing kisses to her neck and shoulder, his other hand joining his first on her ass.

"What happened to this only happening once?" FP breathes against her skin, barely audible through her heavy breathing and the fog inside her brain. She hears him though, reaches up on her tiptoes, in the process pressing impossibly closer to him still, until she reaches his ear.

"I never said that" And it's the truth. She might have thought it, said it to herself and maybe even implied it through her actions, but she had, in fact, never voiced that thought aloud to him. Her answer seems to be enough for him, as he's turning them around abruptly, swallowing the sound of surprise coming form her lips when her back crashes against the door. She feels him smirk against her lips, before she opens hers and welcomes his tongue inside her mouth again, eagerly showing him just how much she enjoys kissing him.

She reaches for the buttons of his shirt, undoing them one by one, as fast as her trembling fingers allow and then she slides it down his arms, letting it fall to the floor behind him. Then she brings his hands to the hem of her shirt and urges him to take it off. She's not about to be completely naked in a storage room at her workplace, no matter how solidly the door is locked this time, but she needs his hot touch on her naked skin and with her shirt gone, there's no other place for his hands to be right now. They break their kiss just long enough for him to lift the garment over her head and then she reaches for him again and their lips lock in a passionate kiss once more.

Their kissing for a long while, hands roaming, exploring formerly covered places and when they finally break again, he wastes no time in attaching his lips to her torso, trailing kisses and nibbles and little bites over her still partly covered breasts, up to her shoulder and neck, and back again. She holds him to her with her hands in his hair, head falling back against the door behind her when he presses one of his legs in between hers. Her skirt has ridden up far enough that he's pressing directly against her underwear and she's not even embarrassed that he can probably feel how turned on she is by him. She moans, not caring if she might be heard on the other side of the door and whispers his name like a chant into the otherwise stillness of the room.

She feels him move down her body, trailing kisses against her breastbone and her stomach, her waist but she only consciously registers what he's up to when his hands reach for the zipper of her skirt. This is dangerous, they don't have much time, they will definitively be caught. So she reaches for his hands, laces their fingers behind her back and stops him from moving.

"FP" She wants to say more, tell him why she's stopping this, but the thought of his head between her legs in making her breathless. He looks up at her then, searches her eyes, finds exactly what he's been looking for and then smiles at her.

"I'm on my lunch break" And she takes her hands from his. Her skirt hits the floor just seconds after and she steps out of it and kicks it to the side without thought. He sits back on his feet, just looks at her for a moment, standing before him in nothing but a lacy black lingerie set. Damn if she hadn't planned this. The moment he takes to admire her is obviously too long in her opinion and she drags one of her hands down her body and pushes her panties to the side, giving him the hottest view he can imagine ever having seen. It's also an invitation he doesn't need to receive twice and she bites her tongue to keep from screaming when his tongue touches her hot center. He swipes his tongue up and down her folds long enough to have her pressing her lower body into his face and then he moves up and flicks it against her aching clit and this time she actually screams while her head hits the wood behind her. Her hands fly into his hair while he's sucking on her clit, and it's just like their first encounter – he reads her like an open book, knows what to do and how to touch her to bring her the most pleasure.

She comes, pressing her center even harder against him, when he pushes two fingers into her, moving in and out of her at a fast, steady pace; fucking her just how she likes it.

She pulls him to his feet even before she's completely found her breath again, fusing their lips together in a searing kiss. She tastes herself on his tongue and it drives her crazier than she ever thought possible. So she reaches for his belt, undoing it and pushing his jeans and shorts down his legs before he even notices what she's doing. Sinking down to her knees, she hears him take in a hitched breath above her.

"Alice" It's him this time, who's not able to say what he means to, but just like she had earlier, he hopes she understands.

She does, still... "I just need..." to know how this feels, should this be the last time. She can't say that though, she's not brave enough for that. "Just tell me when to stop"

She doesn't wait for a reply, before taking him in her mouth, hearing him groan. She works her mouth over his hard cock carefully, aware he might stop her any time and she resists the urge to reach between her own legs and bring herself to another orgasm. She needs him for that and it doesn't take long before she feels him tug at her hair gently, shortly followed by him telling her to stop. She's tempted to ignore him for just a second, but then the thought of him inside her overpowers that.

Getting up to her full height, she kisses him once, briefly but thoroughly. Then she turns, moving against him in clear invitation and when he enters her, she grabs for his hand, lacing their fingers against the door next to her head. He gives her time to adjust to him, capturing her lips when she turns her head to look over her shoulder. Then he's suddenly moving, pushing her into the hard wood in front of her and she matches his movements stroke by stroke. It's just a few minutes until she can feel him slowing down, holding back, but she doesn't mind him being selfish. She's close, maybe his orgasm will push her over the edge, maybe it won't but it doesn't matter right now. She wants to feel him come inside her, to claim her as his and she tightens her inner muscles around him and then she feels him lose the battle with his self control.

When he's done, she kisses him again, the angle is incredibly awkward, but she knows he's about to apologize and she doesn't want that. And so she kisses him and instead of saying anything that had been on his mind, his hand sneaks down her front and he brings her to her own orgasm with a few strokes of his skilled fingers.

They don't immediately spring apart in search of their clothing this time, but rather stay pressed up against each other, reveling in the closeness, sharing short, sloppy kisses for a while, until he needs to get back to his work. She does, too, but unlike him, she's not really on a time limit. They take their time getting dressed, she helps buttoning up his shirt in between more kisses. She unlocks the door, hand on the nob already, when she turns back to him with a smirk on her face.

"I only had to be the one making the * first * step" He's smiling on his way back to the worksite.

For her, the day goes on fast after, her mind still occupied with thoughts of him, but the moment she'd stopped trying to banish them, she'd actually been able to focus on her work, too. She meets him twice a day over the next couple of days, in the same storage room and it's not only her initiating the encounters. He's just as into this as she is, and it seems that he's realized she wants him like this, too. Really wants him, not just as some quick fling when her husband is out of town.

Her husband comes back four days later, telling her how easy it had been to score the contract they'd wanted and Alice listens to all he has to say, puts in the right words where they are necessary, but she's not really into the conversation either. Hell, she didn't even know which contract he's been talking about in the first place. She's been screwing one of their construction workers just an hour before she'd picked up Hal at the airport and as much as she hates herself for it, she doesn't plan on stopping, now that he's back home. They just have to be more careful, move this away from the Register and the construction site and the storage room.

She stops going to every meeting with her husband, claims she's had enough of the work while he was gone. In truth, she's afraid one look would give them away, and as much as she loves sleeping with FP Jones, she has no intention of leaving her husband. No intention at all of him finding out about them, and where FP is completely on the same page with her about that, neither of them can predict their reactions to one another with Hal in the room.

But she knows where he lives now, and suddenly working late at the office is becoming one of her favorite things to do. Her husband doesn't question it, he's always bringing work home with him and he knows she works better at the Register than at home with all these distractions around her. And so she finds herself spending everything from 30 minutes to 3 hours in his bed at least every other day and she doesn't even feel the least bit ashamed about it anymore.


End file.
